


Team 7's time travel adventure pt II

by Lerya



Series: Team 7's time travel adventure [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), Fix-It, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Time Travel, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lerya/pseuds/Lerya
Summary: A continuation of the first installment, what happens what team 7, or team Bijuu, gets a chance to do it ALL over again.They take the chance with both hands and show everyone how its done of course.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Team 7's time travel adventure [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031895
Comments: 246
Kudos: 464
Collections: Foxy fox 🦊





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! Have a New Years' gift!  
> Be sure to read the first installment first, and enjoy!  
> Normal update day will be Wednesday!

The first thing Naruto felt when he started to wake up was a matrass under him, this made his sigh, at least this meant they had managed to get out of that hell dimension, where the Shinju had taken over the planet and hunted them to take their chakra.

He hoped everyone made it to this dimension, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if they left anyone behind.

Without opening his eyes, Naruto felt around him, feeling the matrass under him, it wasn’t the greatest matrass, but it was still better than sleeping on the ground, or staying on the run for days on end.

With that in mind, he didn’t want to get up, turning, he prepared to fall asleep again, he was sure someone would be along to wake him up soon.

Before he could fall asleep however, he heard a voice coming from deep within.

**“…Ruto”**

**“Naruto”**

**“Gaki.”**

**“NARUTO!”**

Sitting up in bed at the call, the first thing he noticed was his surroundings, namely that he was in the apartment he got after he was rejected by the orphanage, but also the apartment that got destroyed in Pain’s attack.

Looking around, Naruto tried to get an estimate as to where he was in the timeline.

When he didn’t find one, he held his hands together in the ram sign and tried to dispel a genjutsu, which didn’t help. Not a genjutsu then.

Hearing the voices again, Naruto turned his thoughts inwards, letting himself sink into his subconscious, once there, he followed the sewer system to his seal. What he saw there however, made him laugh.

All of the Bijuu were squashed behind the cage that used to keep Kurama at bay, seeing them all pressed against each other, had him laughing, even if he closed in on the cage.

**“Naruto.”**

Looking up to his main partner, he tilted his head at the tone in the Kitsune’s Voice.

“Yes Kurama?”

**“Have you looked at yourself, by any chance?”**

Frowning, Naruto looked down, before looking at Kurama again, waving a hand in front of his face, he paled. This was not the hand he was used it, well it was, but this was not the hand of a 19 year old boy. This one was so much smaller.

“I’m a child again?”

Kurama nodded, Saiken and Matatabi growling as their oldest brother pressed on them.

**“We had to aim with what we got, which wasn’t a lot, Obito, Kakashi and Sakura were almost totally depleted of chakra, so it was between all of us and Sasuke, that we needed to muster enough chakra to transport you all away from that hellhole.”**

Kurama sighed, **“long story short, there wasn’t enough, and you were dying in the process of getting here. To save you we managed to connect your souls, and ours, to those already present in this dimension. But it gave us this.”**

The kitsune mentioned to their situation, and to Naruto’s stature.

**“We’re sure we managed to get everyone in the right body, but Naruto, going by what we have gathered, you are 5 years old, same as with Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi and Obito will be 19, if we take that in consideration.”**

Naruto sat down, “I… I have you all to explain this to me, but they don’t. Oh Kami, they’re all going to freak out.”

Kurama nodded, **“They are, Sakura will wake up with her civilian parents, not yet going to the academy, but with the hundredth year seal on her forehead. Sasuke will wake up at the Uchiha compound, with his whole family around him. And Obito will wake up wherever he hid out at before Akatsuki, but with two eyes again. Same with Kakashi, only he will wake up in his apartment with two regular eyes.”**

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, “I need to go and find them, explain, before something happens that we can’t explain. I… We need to do something.”

**“We can do that in a bit, for now, please release the seal, I have Shukaku’s foot in my face and Gyuki’s tentacle is trapping my hind legs.”**

The other Bijuu complained of similar problem, prompting Naruto to nod, climbing up the cage and releasing the seal before he recalled the key and opening up the seal on his stomach, to a sign of relief from his tenants.

Once the cage was opened, none of the Bijuu got out of it however, their eyes on something behind Naruto’s shoulder.

Turning around, Naruto met the faces of his parents, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina looking at the Bijuu gathering behind their son.

“What the…”

Naruto scratched the back of his head, “Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, I can explain.”

This had both adults looking at their son, wonder and awe in their eyes, “Naruto, you know who we are?”

Kushina’s eyes started shining, “did Kakashi raise you then? Or Jiraiya, or Tsunade-hime?”

Felling bad to burst their bubble, Naruto shook his head, “none of those raised me, as a matter of fact I didn’t know any of them before I turned 12.”

This had his parents look at him in fear, while Kurama slapped a hand, or paw, over his face, so much for letting them know gently.

Hearing the sound, Naruto turned, “Kurama! Don’t face palm on me! I had to tell them something, and you know I can’t lie for shit.”

**“Oh, that I know, but in case you forgot, brat you’re currently 5, instead of 12, or 19.”**

Blowing a raspberry to Kurama, Naruto turned back to his parents, “ah, explanation?”

Minato nodded, “that would be great, Naruto.”

Taking a deep breath, Naruto told them about how he grew up before, how he had been all alone until he had gotten a genin team, which was led by Kakashi as its jounin sensei. How it had taken to long for them to form a team, with the issues they had – namely Sasuke’s revenge complex and Sakura’s fangirl mannerisms.

This of course prompted a slight side tour to explain that the Uchiha had been murdered on order by Danzo, for wanting to stage a coup, by their clan heir.

How it was too late, after, when Orochimaru came for them in the chuunin exams, and they lost Sasuke to his sales pitch. How he has left with Jiraiya, after the Sandaime died, to find Tsunade and get her to be Hokage. How he left on a two year training trip with Jiraiya after.

And how coming back and having to fight of an invasion soon after, losing more people and starting the 4th shinobi war, how slowly it had been. Losing Jiraiya had hurt him too much to say.

He told them everything that happened after, all the way to becoming team Bijuu, and after jumping dimensions to try and right some of the wrongs in their lives, even if it would never impact their own lives.

About this last dimension, and the way they had to run for their lives, and the way they had arrived here, merging with their own versions of this dimension with everything they had as 19, and 33, year olds.

As he stopped talking and looked at his parents, seeing the slacked jaw on their faces, and he guessed that if he had to learn this on the time it took him to tell this, he’d be sitting here like that too.

Minato recovered first, “so the person who came after us on the day you were born, was Obito…?”

Naruto sighed, “yes, but he was manipulated into doing that, and I don’t think anyone could classify him as sane at that time. He did what they told him was the best thing to do, to see Rin again.”

Kushina looked between her son and husband, “but he found his sanity again?”

Naruto nodded, “on the battlefield, when Zetsu betrayed Madara and recalled Kaguya to this plane, and with her the Shinju and Juubi.”

Kushina nodded, “can we see the seal you used.”

Naruto gave her his wrist, where the seal he and Sasuke used was still etched.

“This is… where did you learn fuuinjutsu, Naru-chan?”

Naruto grinned, “from O-ji-chan and Mito-baa-chan, mom, we accidently went back to before the founding of Konoha, and helped Hashirama-sama and Madara-sama to found Konoha, it’s where we met them and where I learned fuuinjutsu.”

Kushina held a hand to her heart, “so you met your grandfather?”

Naruto nodded, “on two separate occasions. Once was when he was still a chuunin, as guard detail of your grandfather when they agreed for the bond between Uzushio, and Konoha. And once when we went back and stopped the destruction of Uzushio.”

Kushina started crying, her head hidden into Minato’s shoulder, the blond man’s soft look directed at both his wife and son.

“Kaa-chan, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Minato shook his head, “this isn’t because anything you said, Naruto, you mother was so scared you’d never meet her family, that you wouldn’t get to learn that part of your heritage, so to hear you did, even if it was unconventional, is a huge relief for her.”

Naruto hummed, approaching his mom and wrapping his arms around her waist, her own arms coming around him, with Minato’s around the both of them.

“I am so glad you got to meet all of them, and even prouder of all the things you have done, Naru-chan.”

Naruto nodded, a slight smile on his face, I guess your time’s running out then.

Minato nodded, “sadly enough, yes.”

Naruto nodded, “wait, tou-chan, did you ever tell anyone I was your son? Or that you had a will?”

Minato thought for a moment, “I know I mentioned it to Kakashi at one point, and I think to Jiraiya-sama, why?”

Naruto grinned, “I made sure to collect ‘mission reports’ and other assorted documents written and sighed by other versions of you, Tobirama-sama, Hashirama-sama, Madara-sama, Izuna-sama, Mito-baa-chan and Jii-chan.

I ask because I made sure to get several versions from you, which can dub as a will, one if we ever managed to get in a dimension where I could pose as an older brother of that Naruto. But one is handy in a situation like this, to make sure that I can have a connection to Kakashi sooner, as he was ordered away from me by the Sandaime. But I know we need to be close now, as this will be difficult enough as it is already.”

Minato nodded, “for what it’s worth, I give you my permission to use that and I am sure those who knew I had a will, will agree with it.”

Nodding, he smiled as his parents started to fade, their chakra most likely having dispersed, he remembered them not getting a whole lot of time, when he met them before. Seeing as they didn’t need to seal anything, or help him take Kurama’s chakra, they could use their own to listen to him.

Wiping tears from his eyes, he was startled, and a tail wrapped around him, Kurama laying next to him.

**“It is alright to miss them, Naruto, I might not like them. But I respect them, and we all still miss O-Tou-Sama, and it has been centuries for us, and we still miss him.”**

Naruto nodded as he leaned against the warm fur of the tail, “I know, but it doesn’t make it easier. And to boot I’m still so small now, I need to find the others and start planning on how we can use this in our advantage.

Kurama nodded, as did the other Bijuu, as they started suggesting ideas he could use, or what they had to take in account.

It didn’t take long until he couldn’t even hear them saying anything, having fallen asleep with the warmth around him, as well as the soothing sound of their voices, and the soft hairs on Kurama’s tail. He would deal with that after he had a good night’s rest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Bet you weren’t expecting that as I usually don’t upload on weekends, and unless you read the recent reviews, or you are part of my Discord Channel, you wouldn’t know I was planning to. But today is my birthday (yay, 28 as of today – the 3rd of January).  
> Enjoy the reading and let me know what you think of it! :D

Waking up, Naruto looked around again, thinking this has all been a dream, or a nightmare, he hadn’t decided on that yet. But seeing his old apartment around him reminded him that it had not been a dream, and they had jumped back in time from that awful dimension where the Shinju had devoured everything with chakra in it, and had almost succeeded in doing the same to them.

However, now they were stuck in the bodies of their younger selves, seeing as their own bodies hadn’t made the trip to here. But their minds did, the Bijuu did, and most likely their abilities did as well.

A grumble from within, made him listed to his lifelong partner.

**“You need to go and find the other members of your team, Naruto. No doubt they are all freaking out, they didn’t have us to tell them what had happened. It’s why we woke you up this early – so you would have the time to look for all of them without getting noticed.**

**There are no ANBU guards stationed nearby, so you can slip out unnoticeable.”**

Naruto nodded, giving something of a mental hug to Kurama and the other Bijuu, for thinking about this, and for waking him up so he could speak with the other members of his team.

Opening a window, Naruto looked around to be sure there wasn’t anything watching him, he even felt around with his senses, having had practice and a sensor like his grandfather and Senju Tobirama to learn from came in handy to develop his own sensor abilities – even if those of the Bijuu were still better (but then again, they had a lot more practice in honing them).

Jumping out of the window, he set off to Sakura’s place, knowing that getting her out would be a whole lot easier than getting to Sasuke. So, that’s what he set out to do.

Once at the house of Sakura’s parents in the merchant district, he tried to open the window he knew was hers, the pink curtains giving it away. Finding it unlocked he opened it and entered silently.

He found her laying in her bed, fast asleep, which made sense as she had been almost totally depleted of chakra last time, he had seen her.

Taking a hold of her shoulder, he shook her gently, her mumbling a mix of their names before she opened her eyes and staring at his. Opening her mouth, no doubt to yell out in disbelief, he put a hand in front of her mouth and held a finger to his lips.

When she nodded, he took the finger away, her look of horror as she looked around was almost comically, he had forgotten how much she had liked pink as a little girl. Only growing out of that as she was training with Tsunade as the Sannin had been merciless in explaining why most kunoichi wore clothing that weren’t all that noticeable.

“Naruto, what the hell. How are you so young, and what am I doing in my old bedroom?”

Naruto chuckled quietly, rubbing a hand through his hair as he thought about the best way, he could tell this to his only female teammate.

“We made the jump, but with only Sasuke and me able to give chakra to it, our bodies were lost in the rift – meaning that only our minds, and powers made it here. We essentially took over the bodies of ourselves, from this dimension.”

Sakura gasped, getting up and going to the mirror, and indeed seeing the hundredth year seal still on her forehead.

“Can you put a henge over it, so that only your or Sasuke can break it, I don’t even know where to begin explaining how I got the seal Tsunade-sama is famous for on my forehead, when I haven’t even started the Academy.”

Naruto nodded, gathering chakra at his fingertips and tapping her forehead, making it appear all smooth, without the seal in the middle of it.

Smiling slightly, Sakura nodded, “thank you. I take it we’re going to find the other boys?”

Naruto nodded, “yeah, starting with Sasuke. I already have a plan on how we can get together sooner, but we’ll need to be together for that to work. And getting to you was easier than getting into the Uchiha compound unnoticed, alone.”

Sakura nodded, opening her window again and stepping out onto the roof, Naruto following after her.

Taking to roof hopping, Naruto made sure to keep his senses sharp and to pull Sakura aside and into a dark corner or alley when he felt a guard come too close to them. Even if they looked normal right now, they had no way of explaining what two 5 year olds were doing out in the middle of the night.

When they finally arrived at the Uchiha compound, there were significantly more guards around, most likely because of the tension already brewing between the Uchiha and the other inhabitants of Konoha, lid up by rumours Danzo was spreading in the shadows.

Finding the main house was easy, even without having visited before, in the future/past. Getting inside was a little tricker, as they didn’t want to enter Itachi’s room by mistake, not wanting to have to explain themselves to the prodigy.

Luckily Sasuke should have the Rinnegan still, and Naruto, together with the Bijuu homed in on the special chakra the eye released, mentioning to Sakura what room they had to be in.

Luckily, Sasuke’s window was also unlocked, letting them in without any problem. Approaching the bed, they shook his shoulder to wake him. Sakura ready to slap a hand over his mouth, while Naruto got ready to catch a punch.

As he cleared the sleep from his eyes, Sasuke looked at both of them, before noticing the other chakra signatures in the house, a singe tear making its way from his eye over his cheek at realising what must have happened.

“Naruto, we… we had too little chakra?”

Naruto nodded, “it was only us, and the Bijuu, but with keeping Obito, Kakashi and Sakura alive there was too little chakra to make sure our bodies came through too. Our souls, the Bijuu and our powers did come through, but we essentially took over these versions of us. So yeah, that is Itachi and your parents sleeping down the hall.”

Sasuke nodded, sighing, before turning to Sakura, his Rinnegan eye concentrating on her forehead, before he hummed, “Naruto’s work?”

Sakura nodded, “I can’t just explain a hundredth year seal on my forehead. So, I had Naruto lay a henge over it, seeing as only you or he could dispel it.”

Sasuke nodded, before looking at Naruto and pointing at his eyes, “if you could. I can’t be seen with a Rinnegan, my father would lose his shit. And a Mangekyou is also out of the question, I don’t want to have to explain how I got it.”

Naruto and Sakura winced, before the blond nodded and gathered chakra again before tapping the Uchiha just under his eyes locking his eyes in a henge which gave the appearance of his normal black eyes.

Nodding, he mentioned outside, “we still need to find Kakashi and Obito.”

Before they could get out however, a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Sasuke, are you up?”

Panicking, Sasuke made a clone which climbed in the bed and closed his eyes, while the real one and Sakura took a hold of Naruto’s hand and disappeared in a flash, the blond homing in on the marker Kakashi still had.

If they had stayed for a moment longer, they would have seen Itachi get into Sasuke’s room, thinking he had heard voices coming from inside of it. However, when he saw his brother sleeping tight, he guessed he must have imagined it. Shaking his head, he left the room, ready to go back to his own bed.

With Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto, they were transported to Kakashi’s apartment, hoping that no one noticed the flash going over Konoha, or that they thought it to be a trick of the light.

Falling on top of the jounin wasn’t something they had accounted for, just as the other person in the bed wasn’t something they had expected.

Getting off of the bed, both men in bed woke up, kunai at the ready before their eyes widened at what they were seeing before them.

“What the…”

Sighing, the three youngest looked at their team leaders from team Bijuu, for once happy that Obito had found his way to Kakashi’s side, so he wasn’t kept from them by Zetsu.

“There wasn’t enough chakra to get us here wholly, so the Bijuu made the choice of protecting our souls and our abilities, instead of letting us die from chakra exhaustion. We’re in the bodies of our counterparts of this dimension.”

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, a deep sigh coming out of his lips, looking at his lover, he saw the other Uchiha looking younger than he ever remembered him seeing. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto looked really young too.

“How old are we?”

Naruto winced, “we’re 5, and you and Obito are 19.”

A curse came from Kakashi, before the silver haired man let himself fall back on the bed, rubbing his eyes, before looking back to Obito and cursing again.

“I don’t have a sharingan anymore, great, how am I going to explain that one.”

Sasuke scoffed, “the same way Sakura and I explained our seal and eyes, ask Naruto to put a henge on it, only he and I can dispel it, so you should be able to fake it.”

Humming, Kakashi looked at the blond, who without any prompting tapped his finger under the eye with a scar through it. The sharingan seemingly blooming to life there, even if the drain on his chakra wasn’t felt.

Obito took a seat on the bed again, Sasuke and Sakura taking a seat on the end of the bed, looking at Naruto.

“You said you had a plan?”

Naruto nodded, “I prepared for something like this to happen, and asked my dad, the one from the Kanabi bridge dimension, to write me some scrolls which could be used as his will. I had one where I could pose as his brother, one as my own older brother, and one where I was myself – in the event that I didn’t exist or had been kidnapped as a kid or something.

Anyway, I asked him when I saw him after I opened up the seal last night if he would mind and if he ever told anyone about a will. He said he told you, Kashi, and Jiraiya-sama. But as we know Jiraiya won’t be in the village for 7 more years, you are the only one who could know and who could find it.”

Kakashi blinked a few times, “Do you remember what is written in it?”

Naruto, frowned, before closing his eyes, when he opened it Kurama’s red eyes were looking back at them.

**“Naruto doesn’t, but I do. Minato wrote in it that he wanted you to raise his son, and that under no circumcises was his birth right to be taken from him. I also think he mentioned something that they owed it to Naruto, and to them, to give him everything he deserves – after all he is the son of the Yondaime Hokage, and the last Uzumaki princess. The way they treated him before made his parents turn over in their graves. They were hurt beyond comprehension when the kit told them what had happened the first time (both in that dimension, as well as recently in the seal).”**

Kakashi sighed, “we can work with that, I suppose. But that still doesn’t bring Obito back to Konoha, nor get Sakura and Sasuke together with us.”

A grin on his face let them know that Naruto was back, before the blond said, “yeah, but in about 2 weeks Hinata will be kidnapped by a Kumo diplomat, if Obito can intercept him and bring him back to Konoha alive, coming in through the front gate with perhaps some wounds, we can play it that he had been held captive, but escaped finally. Just in time to recognize an enemy nin taking a Hyuuga from Konoha.”

Sasuke blinked, “you thought this through. But that still doesn’t explain Sakura and me.”

Naruto grinned at them, “Sakura’s parents probably won’t mind her hanging around with two clan heirs, she just doesn’t have to say which clan heirs until later. As for you, your mother was my mom’s best friend, so just tell him you met me, she’ll make the connection and most likely won’t have a problem with it.”

Kakashi hummed, “that could work, indeed. You really put some thought in this, Naru.”

Naruto looked down shyly, “the Bijuu helped, thinking ahead isn’t my best suit.”

All of them laughed, knowing he was more of a on his feet thinker, but still, he had saved their asses once more.


	3. Chapter 3

Having gone over everything they could, to prepare for the bombshell they were going to drop onto Konoha. Obito disappeared in the Kamui dimension, where he would stay for the time being. No one should be able to open it up, as he was the only one with a Kamui eye, having no parents or siblings that would know what to look for.

He would come out multiple times a day to keep in touch with all of them, but this seemed to be the best option according to all of them, for making sure Obito didn’t have to live somewhere else, or go back to Zetsu, but still not recognized or spotted while in Konoha.

Naruto made sure to take Sasuke and Sakura home again, so both of them could ‘wake up’ on a normal hour for a child and get ready for the day. If they deduced right, they would start the academy just after Hinata’s kidnapping attempt.

Kakashi meanwhile held the scroll they would use as Minato’s will, walk into the Hokage’s office with it as if he had just found it between his belongings coming from the Uzumaki compound, which he finally looked through after everything that had happened.

It would hopefully be enough to get Naruto moving in with him, and if the other things held, would give Kakashi temporarily jurisdiction over the Uzumaki and Namikaze properties and money – until such a time Naruto became a genin, and was recognized as an adult by Konoha law.

As soon as the kids left, he pressed a kiss to Obito’s lips and made his was to the Hokage, a contemplating, almost desperate look in his eyes, as he made sure enough people saw him holding a scroll sealed with Minato’s personal seal.

Back in Naruto’s apartment, the blond had made sure his teammates had gone back home, feeling awkward in his feelings for Sasuke, they were still there stronger as ever. But his lover was, as was he, 5 years old in body – and that didn’t bring him any joy or arousal.

They had promised to talk about it soon, as both of them still were sure they were soulmates of some kind and didn’t want to live without the other. But 5 year olds acting as grown ups in term of love life, was asking for trouble.

Looking around his apartment, Naruto grimaced, first things first, he’d clean house and make sure he got some other things to stock his apartment with. If he remembered correctly there was an abandoned warehouse not that far, where people dumped their old, but still good, furniture or household items.

Nodding to himself, the little blond began cleaning up all the ramen containers he could find, wash up his dishes, and started cleaning his whole apartment top to bottom.

When an ANBU guard checked in on him, they would find the little blond cleaning his bathroom, which they guessed wasn’t that weird, even if they had never seen the blond actual clean his home, but the ANBU dismissed it as just never having stumbled on the kid doing the chores.

Nodding, they went to report to the Hokage, telling him the Jinchuuriki was cleaning his house, but that everything was alright with the boy.

Naruto meanwhile was making sure everything was cleaned out and made a list of all the things he wanted to get. He knew chances where he’d be living with Kakashi within the week. But that didn’t stop him from making sure he was comfortable in his little apartment.

Of course, there was still the possibility that the will would be overruled, and he wouldn’t be allowed to go and live with Kakashi. But this way more people would be notified just whose child he was and would feed the rumour mill on that.

After all, nothing stayed secret for a long time in a shinobi village. People would gossip every day, and in every piece of gossip was a part of the truth – even if that truth pertained to what the person is question thought about another person.

With his apartment cleaned, he was for once happy it was such a small living space, instead of the large surface the Uchiha main house, or even Kakashi’s apartment held. Getting done with cleaning, while still doing it to his own standards brought him some tranquillity.

Nodding to himself, the blond set out to the warehouse to look if someone had dumped a futon, some more kitchenware, and some towels recently. He could always use those, as the stipend he got for being an orphan didn’t cover all he wanted to buy – especially not with the prices the vendors and shopkeepers asked when he brought from them.

He had to stifle a laugh, as those people would all get a shock when it was finally revealed just who his parents were.

For now, he’d just go and do something that wouldn’t make him suspicious, even if he was looking forward to what would happen after the Hokage read the will his dad wrote. Not to mention the reaction of the elder counsel, the clan heads, and the civilian counsel.

Kakashi made sure to look almost pleadingly at the secretary at the Hokage’s office, when he asked her if it was possible to speak with Sandaime-sama. The fact that he was coming through the door instead of the window also spoke about how serious this matter was.

When the secretary went and checked, he was allowed in soon after. The Sandaime looks up as he entered, putting the papers he had been reading to the side to give Kakashi his full attention. Especially after his secretary, Kira, told him how shocked the Hatake had looked.

“Kakashi-kun, what is it I can do for you?”

Kakashi made a show of swallowing thickly, “I… Hokage-sama, I went through my belongings from the Uzumaki compound, and I found a sealed scroll by Sensei’s hand. I haven’t opened it yet, but I recognized the seal and came straight here.”

Hiruzen looked shocked for a moment, before he covered it up, “let’s see then, shall we?”

Kakashi nodded and handed him the scroll. The moment he held it, Hiruzen could feel Minato’s chakra signature radiating though the parchment, a small sliver of Kushina’s mixed in between. He also recognized the seal that closed the scroll.

Sighing, he broke it, before opening the scroll, his eyebrows climbing up his forehead as he read.

“They knew something was going to happen?”

Kakashi winced, “I… Sensei told me that had prepared for everything that could happen, so I think this was a possible scenario they thought of and wanted to prepare for. I… I knew Sensei had a will, he had one ever since the War, just in case, but I was never able to find it, and I knew that neither Jiraiya nor you did.”

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi said, “I found it in between scrolls of my own, while I was finally cleaning out the boxes I went and got from the compound. I… I think Sensei went and laid it there on the night self, hoping that would be the first place I’d look.”

Looking at the Hokage, Kakashi made sure his voice came out unsure as he asked, “can I, can I read what he wrote?”

The Sandaime looked at Kakashi, no doubt seeing as anxious look the Hatake sported, thinking it was because of what was written in the will, which it was, in part. The other part was because he was scared his team which he had been working with for 7 years, would be broken up.

Even after all this time, there was one thing Kakashi couldn’t work well with, and that was a major change in his life.

Hiruzen nodded, before giving the will to Kakashi, who looked it over and saw that it said exactly as Kurama had told them, down to the last letter.

“What… What does this mean now?”

Hiruzen sighed, “That I need to assemble to clan heads to discuss this, hoping that the civilian counsel won’t stick their nose in, and come to an agreement on how soon Naruto can move in with you, as well as how and when we’ll inform the village of this.”

Kakashi sighed, so their plan, Naruto’s plan, had worked.

“I see…”

Hiruzen looked at the young shinobi in front of him, “you came here many times already, Kakashi, to ask for permission to raise Naruto. But I was blocked at every turn, both in an effort to conceal who Naruto’s parents are, but also by the counsels, all three of them.

The shinobi one because they wanted to follow the letter of Minato’s, or Kushina’s, will, but it was never found.

The elder counsel just saw you as too unstable and didn’t get the connection you had or should have had with Naruto, as his father’s only remaining student.

And the civilian counsel just didn’t see Naruto as a boy, but as the Kyuubi, so for him to be placed with one of my best shinobi, was a sign for them that he was getting out of control and should be put down soon. They never said that, but I knew it was the reason I couldn’t do it, not without informing them of Naruto’s true parentage, which I couldn’t risk.”

Looking at the Hatake, he asked, “are you ready for this?”

Kakashi nodded, “I always expected my little brother to come home, Hokage-sama, even if it will be later than I originally intended.”

Hiruzen nodded, “I will make sure to inform everyone and to call the counsel together to discuss this. I won’t ignore this, Kakashi, you have my word. But I cannot promise you Naruto will be living with you tomorrow.”

Bowing, Kakashi nodded, “I understand, Hokage-sama, but all the same I will be looking forward to having Naruto live with me.”

Before he could leave, the Hokage asked, “does this mean you will leave ANBU, Kakashi?”

The silver haired nin nodded, “I believe so, Hokage-Sama, even if I don’t believe you mind all that much, with how you’ve been trying to persuade me to leave.”

Hiruzen nodded, smiling as the Hatake left his office. Going over the will in his hands, he mentioned for his ANBU to show themselves.

“Get me the clan heads and the elder counsel, as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile Kakashi had to fight to keep a smirk off his face, this had gone even better than they could possibly think. Soon, Naruto would be living with him, Obito would return and save the Hyuuga heir, and he had no doubt the moment the academy began his cute little students would gravitate towards each other, showing the world just what they were made off.

He didn’t believe they would stay in the academy for almost 7 years, Naruto alone didn’t have the patience for that. Which left Sasuke and Sakura to follow his lead, just as they had always done after the war.

He had to grin, he promised himself to take them on as his genin team when that was the case and help them develop and grow at a rate not seen since the Ootsutsuki were present.

He might have to consult Obito, and Naruto, on what they could do so no one ever knew just what had happened for these events to play out as they did. As well as to prevent anyone from discovering Naruto held all the Bijuu, instead of just Kurama.

Soon, their team would be back together, without anyone being any wiser on why it had happened, making sure all the things that had happened before wouldn’t happen, and they prepare for whatever way come their way.

On the way to his apartment, he could feel the blond coming his way, when they collided, he looked at the blond with a tender look in his face, knowing the rumour mill would pick up on it and know something would be going on very soon between Kakashi Hatake and the demon brat, even if some might turn it sexually, he’ll deal with that as soon as Naruto’s heritage is revealed.

Pulling the boy up, he squeezed his hand once with a smile, letting him know that their plan had worked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I felt like posting another chapter, so here you all go!

Hiruzen rubbed a hand over his eyes when the door opened and Nara Shukaku, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akamichi Choza walked in, of course, they were known to spend a lot of time together, and were almost always attached to the hip, even if their genin days were long gone.

Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuuga Hiashi followed soon after, both doijutsu clans didn’t look at each other and made so to take a seat at the opposite sides of the room.

Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi followed them, making the clan heads complete, he sighed and sat down to wait for his counsel elders. When they finally walked in almost 20 minutes after the clan heads, all who were getting agitated, Hiruzen turned to them.

“Was the message of this being urgent, not clear?”

Danzo scoffed, “what could possible be urgent enough that we had to come to your office the same instant an ANBU gives us the message?”

Hiruzen grid his teeth, getting tired of this way his old friend was acting out against him, trying to ask questions, or make statements that would put him in a bad light with the people of Konoha. He knew Danzo had a habit of whispering things among the populace, or to whisper things into the civilian counsel’s ears, to make his job s Hokage that much harder.

Grabbing the opened scroll from the desk he said, “the last will and testament of Yondaime-Sama, Namikaze Minato.”

This had everyone quiet, but he was most interested in the look on Danzo’s face, the man had paled, a disbelieving look in his eyes. Why didn’t this surprise him, the man must have found a version of it, and destroyed it, or had it disappeared, but he couldn’t do that with this version. Not with this many witnesses.

Shikaku, ever the strategist, asked, “and who found this?”

Hiruzen sighed, “Hatake Kakashi, between his belongings from the Uzumaki compound, which he most likely only recently went through.”

Danzo scoffed, “that’s awfully convenient for the Hatake brat to find the will, after all his attempts at getting that little demon brat adopted.”

Fugaku and Hiashi stood, for once in agreement, “I would watch your words, Shimura-san, that ‘demon brat’ is still the only living child of Uzumaki Kushina-hime and Yondaime-sama. Not only that, but as Minato-Sama’s last student I find it very obvious that he would have put a copy of his will with Kakashi-kun’s things.”

Tsume interjected, “and not only that, but the pup had also been through enough, that I understand him not being able to look through all those boxes so soon. 5 years might be a bit long, but this is the same shinobi that lost his entire team in the space of a year. Kindly keep your remarks about my kin to yourself.”

All of the clan heads nodded in agreement, with Fugaku’s and Tsume’s statement, they too had the same opinion over that, and were looking quite hostile at Shimura Danzo, not that hard, as they had noticed the back handed way, he wanted to discredit Sandaime-sama, as well as turn more things to his hand that would have been possible.

Hiruzen sighed, he would need to put a stop to Danzo’s actions, and soon, before he started getting ideas that would make him loose precious leaves of the tree of Konoha.

“The reason I called you here, was to discuss this with all of you, as I believe the words I the will should be followed, which would mean let Naruto move in with Kakashi, and release the secret that was placed on the knowledge of Naruto-kun’s parentage. I believe in doing as is described here, and to have to happen as soon as possible.”

Shikaku held out his hand, “may we read it?”

Hiruzen nodded and handed it over, Inoichi and Choza reading over the man’s shoulder. It was handed to Tsume next, who had Hiashi and Shibi reading over her shoulders, before passing it to Fugaku, who read over it with his Sharingan active.

“Hokage-sama, I believe this was written in a hurry, as some of the characters look like they were cut shorter than Minato would have drawn them if he had time to spare.”

Danzo huffed, “so, it was faked?”

Fugaku turned Sharingan eyes to the Shimura, “I did not say that I said it was rushed, it still without a doubt Minato’s handwriting.”

Danzo was grinding his teeth again, he wouldn’t put it past the man to try and do something in these coming months, he had seen the way he glared at every Uchiha he saw, it had only gotten worse in the last few months. He wanted to shake his head, how come he never noticed this, the way Danzo interpreted Tobirama-Sama’s view on Uchiha.

Turning back to his clan heads, he asked; “what is the best possible way of going at this?”

Danzo interjected, “we didn’t get to see this will.”

Hiruzen sighed, “because I don’t think you’d read it, but rather destroy it like the other ones, going by the look in your face, you thought you had gotten every copy.”

This had all of the other people looking at Danzo in shock, to know that this man could be the reason they hadn’t been able to find Minato’s will. For someone to stop so low as to destroy the last wish of someone, and not anyone, but their beloved Yondaime Hokage, and his wife.

Danzo stood, “because the little monster should be raised with a firm hand, away from the rest of the village, to serve as out ultimate weapon.”

Multiple things happened at the same time, Hiashi shot forward striking Danzo in several points, paralyzing him in the chair he was seated in. He had been Kushina’s genin teammate and took a threat on her son as a threat to his own children.

Inoichi stepped forward and used his mind jutsu to find out what Danzo was thinking. When he came back, he looked green, turning to Fugaku he whispered something into the man’s ear. Which lead to man having to be restrained by Inoichi and Choza, as he tried to get to Danzo, the look in his eyes promising murder.

As Shikaku took over from Inoichi, the man used another jutsu to project what he had seen directly to their minds, and Hiruzen wished he didn’t see what he saw.

Children kidnapped out of the cradle, to be raised in pairs, only for them to kill their ‘sibling’ as a graduation test for ROOT, which he knew Minato banned. Not only that, but he had proof that Danzo had destroyed Minato’s other wills, all in an effort to get to Naruto on a moment they weren’t paying attention, or when he was made Hokage.

Plans he had o his mind about the other clans, about the Uchiha, about allies they had – Uzushio had been because of his fear of their Fuuinjutsu knowledge. He even saw who he recognized as Jiraiya’s last students, a trio of teens from Ame, who he wanted to have killed for the possibility that Ame could become a dependable force, instead of the run down village it was under Hanzo’s command.

He shakes his head, to know that this is what had become of this once loyal and amazing Konoha shinobi. Looking at Shikaku and Choza, he nodded, as they released Fugaku, the man took out a kunai and ran it over the elder’s throat.

Turning to his other advisors, Homura and Koharu, “where either of you in on this ridiculous plan Danzo had for Konoha!?”

When both of them looked away from him, he had his answer and his ANBU take them down to a cell, they would be dealt with soon enough. He couldn’t believe this, his own counsel, wanting to betray him, and the village in such a way.

Fugaku, turning to him, said, “Hokage-sama, as much as I want Minato’s will carried out, would it not be a better idea to take some time to process this, and to dispose of the traitor’s body?”

Hiruzen nodded, he couldn’t believe this, his whole world view had changed in these few hours.

“Yes, that might be the best solution. Fugaku, can I ask you to inform Kakashi that we plan on tackling this as soon as possible. You may tell him what had happened.”

Fugaku nodded, “of course, Hokage-sama.”

Nodding, he turned to Shikaku, “Shikaku, can I ask you to keep this with you. Something does not sit well with me, and I wouldn’t want this to get lost.”

Shikaku took the rolled up scroll, “of course, Hokage-sama. Shall we meet again in two days’ time?”

Hiruzen nodded, “yes, 9 AM, bright and early, to tackle this.”

All the clan head nodded and left the office, as soon as they left, Hiruzen took of his had and ran a hand through his hair, he felt so old right now. Not only that, but after finding this out, he doubted his capabilities as Hokage. He would ask this of the clan heads too, maybe it was time to find a Godaime.

Kakashi was shocked when someone knocked at his door, signing Obito to leave, the man disappeared into the Kamui dimension, before Kakashi opened the door, shocked at seeing Fugaku Uchiha standing there.

While they weren’t well acquainted, he knew Fugaku had been on very good terms with Minato, probably because Mikoto had been on Kushina’s genin team, and the two woman had been the best of friends until Kushina and Minato’s death. He had also been one of the few, who had argued in favour of him keeping the Sharingan eye Obito had given him, seemingly a lifetime ago.

“Kakashi, may I come in?”

Nodding, still curious as to what could have happened for the Uchiha clan head to come by today, “Of course, Uchiha-sama.”

Fugaku waved his hand, “drop the formality, Kakashi, if you would.”

Nodding, Kakashi looked as the Uchiha head took a deep sigh, before talking about what had happened today in the Hokage’s office. How all the clan heads were for giving him custody over Naruto, preferably yesterday. Until he also told him of the betrayal of the council of elders. Not that Kakashi was surprised by that, he knew most of what had happened before had been Danzo’s fault, as well as the two other, even if Danzo took the lead in everything.

To hear that all three of them had been found guilty of such treason, and that Fugaku himself had killed Danzo (luckily, before anything could ever happen with the Uchiha clan), before the man mutilated himself for a, in his mind, stronger Konoha.

He understood that the Hokage, and the clan heads needed time to get used to this, this was not a small betrayal, and he couldn’t imagine how Sandaime-sama would feel.

He also knew, without a doubt, that Naruto wouldn’t mind them ‘meeting’ taking a little bit longer, because of this. Especially when it eliminated Danzo already, one less snake to worry about in the greater scheme of things.

Nodding as Fugaku finished his explanation, Kakashi thanked the man for informing him, telling him he could wait a few more days, as he understood the severity of this matter.

The clan head gave a small smile, before letting himself out of Kakashi’s apartment, no doubt going to his family, happy that whatever Danzo had planned didn’t come true. He also hoped the man would never find out what had happened before, when Danzo lived, and he did have the clan murdered.

Shaking his head, Kakashi leaned back into the hug Obito gave him, the other man having come out of the Kamui dimension the moment he had felt the older Uchiha leave.

“That was quite the revelation.”

Kakashi nodded, “tell me about it, I don’t think this had ever gone like this. Not that I’m not happy we won’t have to deal with Danzo, this is still a bit shocking, I wonder how the kids are going to react.”

Obito snorted, “Sasuke is going to do a victory dance, especially in favour of his father. Naruto is going to happy we won’t be stuck with the mess that is Danzo, and Sakura will be about the same, with maybe some anger because she wasn’t the one to cut the man’s throat.”

Kakashi hummed, “for being a medic-nin, she is the most violent of them all.”

Obito nodded, “I’m scared of her sometimes. But then again, she does have the four of us around her.”


	5. Chapter 5

The two days passed in a flash, making Hiruzen take action against the other two members of the elder counsel, both had been found guilty of treason and were as such executed. He didn’t need traitors whispering in his ear all day, not only that – but who knows how long they had been traitors, and had as such, whispered misinformation or whatnot in his ear.

He sighed, as he finally got back from telling their families, all of whom were shocked at getting to know this, mad to know that the people they had looked up to were traitors, and sad to be losing their parents, or grandparents.

Looking around the village, he was quite looking forward to the next day, to finally give Naruto the recognition he deserved as the son of Konoha’s most lethal couple, but also to be able to give Kakashi the custody of the boy that would have grown up as his little brother, if the circumstances were differently.

For now, he would go to sleep, and look forward to what the morning would bring.

The meeting pertaining Naruto’s guardianship was handled quickly and effortlessly, all of the clan heads were in agreement that the blond should be able to move in with Kakashi, as soon as Hiruzen went and told the blond this. As well as who his parents were.

As those two were moving in together, Hiruzen would, together with Inoichi and Shikaku, inform the civilian counsel of what had happened, what had been found and what had been decided, regardless of what they thought of that. Hiruzen had noticed how Danzo influenced the civilian counsel and made them think they had more to say in Konoha then they actually did.

This was something he, as Sandaime, was going to rectify, the civilian counsel was established to oversee civilian matters, not shinobi ones, and least of all, for them to have a say in those matters. Konoha was a shinobi village, the civilians followed because of the stability, but if they expected actual input, they could go and find that elsewhere.

With those matters decided, and all of the clan heads on the edge of their seat at seeing the fallout of everyone knowing just who Naruto really was, and how much a lot of people screwed up with treating him the way they did.

As the clan heads left, Hiruzen stood too, mentioning his ANBU guard to follow him to where Naruto lived. In the apartment building, he couldn’t help but wince at seeing the water damage, and the mould everywhere. To think someone would let a whole building deteriorate just because of one person living there.

Knocking on the door that housed the little blond, a young voice called out from inside.

“One moment!”

And as asked, not even 1 minute passed, before Naruto opened the door with gloves on his hands.

“Ah, Jiji, come in, come in! I was cleaning out my fridge, it was yucky, would you like some tea?”

Smiling at the blond, he reminded him a lot of his mother right now.

“some tea would be nice, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto nodded, “would your guards also like something to drink?”

This stumped Hiruzen, who looked at Naruto, seeing the look in the blond boy’s eyes.

“I should not know that, should I?”

Hiruzen shook his head, “no, normally they stay hidden pretty well. I am just astonished that you can feel them.”

Naruto worried his lip, “I… I started being able to feel the people of the village since a little while, mostly the shinobi, and I think their chakra. I can feel a mix of all elements in you Jiji, you were able to use all of them, right?”

Ponting in the direction of Cat, or Tenzo, he said, “that one feels woody.”

Pointing towards Weasel, or Itachi, “and that one is an Uchiha, with a fire affinity.”

Hiruzen just about choked, not even his sensei had been that good of a sensor, so to have a 5 year old being able to, was a bit of a scare.

“That’s pretty incredible Naruto-kun and will be quite valuable when you become a shinobi. But I came here today to tell you something, and to ask something of you.”

Naruto looked at the old man, his eyes curious, and a small smile on his lips.

“We were able to uncover the will of one of your parents, which dedicates that you be housed, and adopted, by his last remaining student. I am here to ask you if you would like that?”

Naruto blinked a few times, “I’d be able to leave here?”

Hiruzen nodded, looking around, he could guess why the boy wouldn’t want to stay here. The walls had the wallpaper pealing off, he could see more mould around, and the scent around didn’t promise anything good.

“Yes, Naruto-kun, if you would like, today already. If you want, we can go and look for Kakashi-kun as soon as you are ready.”

Naruto stopped for a moment, “Hatake Kakashi?”

Naruto nodded, “but, he’s the only remaining student of Yondaime-Sama.”

Hiruzen nodded, a sad look on his face, “when you were born your parents gave their lives to protect you, and Konoha, from the Kyuubi no Kitsune, while I never told you who they were, it was to protect you – or try to protect you – from enemies both of them had. Not taking in account how people would see a babe in whom the Kyuubi had been sealed.

As none of my shinobi could talk, civilians started making their own tall tales, and it wasn’t all that great for you. I plan on announcing your heritage this afternoon to the civilian counsel, that you are the son of our Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, and the last Uzumaki princess, Uzumaki Kushina-hime.”

Naruto gaped for a little while, not that Hiruzen could blame the boy, thus had been quite the bomb he had dropped on the boy.

“My dad was Yondaime?”

Hiruzen nodded, “he was, and I know that he was very looking forward to seeing you. I ma sure Kakashi-kun can tell you even more about them.”

Naruto nodded, mutely, most likely still processing all of this, it was a lot for a 5 year old.

“Naruto-kun, would you like to meet Kakashi-kun?”

Naruto nodded, “just, let me get cleaned up first.”

He ran into the bathroom, coming out in different clothes, these ones were orange pants and a white shirt with a large spiral on it, almost an Uzumaki spiral.

Smiling softly, Hiruzen stood, “let’s get you introduced to Kakashi-kun, I’m sure the both of you will be able to move your belongings, and once word gets out, you might find some other willing helpers.”

Naruto nodded, taking a hold of the old man’s hand as they walked in the direction of Kakashi’s apartment. In his mindscape, Naruto high fived all the Bijuu, so happy his plan had worked.

After introducing Naruto to Kakashi, Hiruzen had to smile at the way the silver haired jounin had lit up at seeing the blond entering his home. From the way he was twitching, he guessed the jounin wanted to enclose the blond in a hug but was refraining from doing so to not scare him off.

When he left the two boys to it, Kakashi was showing Naruto his apartment, pointing out his own bedroom, and telling the little blond which would be his, much to the blond’s joy.

As he pulled the door behind him, he centred himself, it was time to let the civilian counsel know just who was the Hokage of this village, and as such, it’s utmost power – he needed to find out just who was in on Danzo’s plans, or who had plans of their own that wouldn’t profit Konoha’s leaves.

It was time to show them that he was still a God of Shinobi and had earned that title!

Once Naruto felt everyone leave, he started laughing, hugging Kakashi around his waist, as he didn’t reach higher at the moment.

Kakashi hugged him back in the same way, another pair of arms joining in their hug as Obito popped up again.

“We did it!”

Kakashi nodded, “you did, Naru! I can’t wait to see the reactions of the people around here when this comes out. It might just show them all, not to judge someone at face value. After seeing Fugaku here, I’m also sure we’ll have backing from the other clan heads.”

Naruto grinned, “this is going to be so much fun. I wonder if Itachi will drop by, to introduce me to his younger brother, now that they can make contact. I know Mikoto is my godmother, she would only encourage it.”

Kakashi nodded, “I think that’s very likely, Itachi loves Sasuke, and he loves kids, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest that he and Sasuke will come over to help us move in a few hours.”

Naruto grinned, “great, we’re waiting a few hours then?”

Kakashi nodded, “we can always say we were getting to know each other first, before moving all your belongings into my apartment.”

Naruto nodded, “alright, I can live with that! That is going to be so much fun!”

Kakashi and Obito laughed, looking at each other, before agreeing, Konoha wouldn’t know what hit it.

Hiruzen stook before the civilian counsel, Inoichi and Shikaku at his side.

The main representative, one Haruno Kizashi, spoke, “excuse me, Hokage-sama, but I think I misheard you.”

Hiruzen shook his head, “I know what I said, Haruno-san, Uzumaki Naruto will be known as Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto starting this day. His father’s was found and dictated that the boy be living with Hatake Kakashi, his last remaining student.”

Haruno, and several others gaped at that, “but that means…”

Hiruzen nodded, “that Naruto is the son of the Yondaime and the last Uzumaki princess, I’m sure I don’t need to make any pictures with that.”

Someone at the back screeched, “so the demon took over the son of Yondaime-sama and Uzumaki-hime!”

Hiruzen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, before he could say anything, however, Shikaku beat him to it.

“No, you imbecilic, it means that Yondaime-sama, and Uzumaki-Hime trusted their son to keep the Kyuubi under control. He is after all his mother’s son, who was the last Jinchuuriki, they thought the Village would recognize the sacrifice they made, and that Naruto still makes – but that wasn’t the case, now was it.”

Inoichi snorted, “you all screwed up with the last royal Uzumaki, who is also the son of our Yondaime, let that sink in.”

Before saying anything the two clan heads left the room, Hiruzen following after them, he didn’t need to say anything more here, not at seeing the looks most of those in attendance had on their face, the result of their actions slowly coming in. How screwed they were, because Naruto might be only 5 years old, Kakashi wasn’t, and the man knew enough of what happened to the blond to stop him from forgiving any of them.

As he had done what he needed to do today, Hiruzen made his way home, planning on spending some time with his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson.

As expected Itachi did come over, with Sasuke and Shisui in tow, wanting to help with the moving of Naruto’s belongings into Kakashi’s apartment.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glimpses, before introducing themselves, taking extra care to not let it show that they already know each other.

Before long, their group of 5 made their way to Naruto apartment, and started packing. Those already a shinobi had to hold their tongue at seeing the state of said apartment. Even though Kakashi knew, he still hurt at knowing this is where Naruto had grown up before, and where he had still spent almost a year now.

Noticing the mould in the corner, he was very grateful for Kurama, as without the Bijuu Naruto would have gotten very ill, or even have died – black mould took a toll of the body and was often times lethal.

Looking at Itachi, he saw the Uchiha looking at the same mould, before nodding to Kakashi, letting him know he would let someone know.

For once he was glad that Fugaku knew so many people, among them those who did the inspections on buildings. If they saw this, chances were the landlord had to pay Naruto back for all the months he lived here, in unforgivable circumstances.

His eye fell onto the boys, who seemed to be bonding, or giving the appearance of bonding, this would turn out well. When the academy started, they would already have each other. The boys must have seen, because they beamed at him.

“Kashi-nii, Sasuke is starting the academy too! I can still start right?”

Kakashi nodded, “yes, Naruto, in two weeks.”

The two boys grinned and started talking to each other again, vibrating with happiness at having a friend, or more accurately, to not pretend they didn’t know each other. It Kakashi happy to see them like that, and would only go on to show how they would evolve as time went on.


	6. Chapter 6

With Naruto now living with Kakashi, the little blond was eagerly counting down the days until he started the academy. Luckily, with Itachi coming to help them move, and bringing Sasuke along, he and the Uchiha now had a plausible reason why they had so many playdates going on.

For Kakashi, and Obito, it was a relief to see two of their three kids so close again, with them all being younger now than before, they needed to handle this a lot more delicately than they would have needed to do had they all been older – like the last few times they had made a jump.

Same as with the boys, the two grown men were also counting down to be able to include Sakura in their little group once more, without raising any suspicion.

Right now, about 2 weeks after Naruto had been able to move in with Kakashi, and Obito – not that anyone knew that. They needed to plan for the next step of their plan.

As with Kakashi, Obito couldn’t just show up with two Sharingan eyes, so he did as Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke had done and asked Naruto to place a henge on it – aided by Kurama’s chakra of course, so only Sasuke or Naruto could dispel it.

With that taken care of, all they needed to do was wait for Naruto to give the signal that he felt Hinata’s chakra leave the Hyuuga compound – so Obito could intercept the Kumo shinobi as he tried to kidnap the heiress.

To give the appearance that he had just escaped captivity as a prisoner of war, he and Kakashi had spared in the Kamui dimension. The Hatake making sure he didn’t use any jutsu that could be linked to him, or any that held his own chakra signature – something for which Naruto came in handy.

Slightly wounded, with a few bruises and even a broken bone or two, Obito looked like someone who had just escaped and made his way back home. The timing could be waved away as coincidence, but an Uchiha saving the Hyuuga heiress would only help the Uchiha forging a better bond with the Hyuuga.

Naruto sat on the couch, his eyes closed, with sage mode activated, tracking the charka signature of Hinata, as well as another more lightning inclined. Perking up suddenly, he nodded to Obito, the Uchiha disappearing in a whirl of Kamui, knowing what to look for.

Kenji had to grin at how easy it had been to kidnap a Hyuuga from the clan compound. After he had arrived in Konoha, to discuss peace talks with the Hokage on the Raikage’s orders. He had been taken on a tour of the village as a show of good faith.

That had been their mistake, he had known where he needed to be after the sun went down, looking down at the little girl in his arms, which would make a perfect gift for the Raikage when he returned. The girl would most likely be raised in one of his trusted nin’s households, to be acceptable to marriage with a Kumo shinobi, introducing a Doijutsu in lightning country.

None of the people in the Hyuuga compound had seen him sneaking in with his own kekkai genkai, which let him blend with his surrounding, bending the light around him so he disappeared – using the Hyuuga arrogance against them.

Getting out of Konoha was also a piece of cake, after all the guards had known he would be leaving this night, the girl in his arms disguised with a minor genjutsu to make it appear that he was carrying a bag in his hands instead of on his back.

Now, he was quite a few miles outside of Konoha, and closer to the border of Kumo then he was to Konoha, which made him release the genjutsu. Only after did he realise it was a mistake, the moment he let the genjutsu go, a kunai was held on his throat.

Looking around he found himself staring into a singe sharingan eye, the genjutsu that took hold of him made him let out a single sound before he was taken under.

Obito sighed, this Kumo nin was quite the idiot, for letting go of a genjutsu in what was still enemy territory. Shaking his head, he caught the idiot as he fell under the genjutsu he had cast.

Extracting the Hyuuga heiress from where she was sleeping in the man’s arms, he held her to his own chest, breaking the genjutsu she was under, making her moan before she woke up and let out a squeak.

Looking around, he could see the fright grow in her light lavender coloured eyes, shushing her, he asked.

“Hyuuga-chan, so you know where you are?”

She looked at him, “Uchiha-san?”

Obito nodded, “I found you as I made my way back to Konoha, that man was carrying you, but going by the Kumo headband, I don’t think you know him.”

Hinata looked at the man, “no, he… Uchiha-san, that man came into the compound and… and I saw him… but I don’t remember anything after that.”

Tears started making their way down her cheeks, making Obito shush her again, “you’re fine, Hyuuga-chan. If I were to guess I think he cast a genjutsu over you, I broke it, which made you wake up.”

Hinata nodded, her head hidden in his neck, probably glad to at least have something familiar close by.

“Alright, Hyuuga-chan, I think we need to get to Konoha, which will be a few hours walk, or we can use something special and be there in a few minutes, but then I need you to vouch for me.”

Hinata nodded against his neck again, “the fast way, I want Tou-chan, and Ji-chan, and Neji-nii-san.”

Obito nodded, “alright keep a tight grip on my neck alright? I’ll also need to take the Kumo nin, but this means I can only hold you with one arm, so you need to hold on tight.”

Hinata nodded, before looking at his, “Uchiha-san, I can also cling to your back like a monkey, I did it before with ji-chan.”

Obito though about it for a moment, if she were able to do that, it would free up his hands, so he nodded.

“Alright, Hyuuga-chan.”

Crouching down, Obito set down the girl, letting her climb up and cling to his back standing slowly so he could catch her as she fell. When she didn’t, and didn’t restrict his movement too much, he took a hold of the Kumo nin again, activating Kamui to take them to just outside the gates.

The guards looked up at the whirl that appeared, and even more as an Uchiha appeared with the Kumo diplomat in his arms. It turned even stranger when an obvious Hyuuga peaked over his shoulder.

The Uchiha looked up, making Kotetsu and Izumo choke, as he had only one sharingan eye, as well as scaring on the right side of his face.

“Uchiha Obito?”

Obito nodded, “Kotetsu, Izumo, I think you’d better get the Hokage, as well as the current Hyuuga head, I found this Kumo nin a couple hours north carrying Hyuuga-chan here, I don’t think that was allowed.”

Izumo and Kotetsu choked and looked at each other, before Izumo disappeared in a shunshin, no doubt getting the Hokage, as well as Hiashi.

Izumo ran into the Hokage’s office, where Hiruzen was just finishing for the evening.

“Hokage-sama, you need to come with me right now, a shinobi looking like Uchiha Obito arrived carrying the Kumo delegate, claiming he found the man carrying the Hyuuga heiress a couple hours north of here.”

Hiruzen’s eyes widened, “go and get Hiashi, quickly now. I’ll make my way towards the gate, I assume Kotetsu is still there?”

Izumo nodded, before he disappeared again, knocking on the gates of the Hyuuga compound before he stood still.

A ruffled guard answered, telling him that the compound was on lockdown, as the Heiress had disappeared.

Izumo nodded, “I know, a previously MIA Uchiha turned up with her, telling me and my partner that he found the Kumo delegate carrying her.”

The guard’s eyes widened too, before he closed the gate and ran back inside the compound, returning a few minutes later with Hiashi, as well as Hizashi, both of them looking as ruffled as the guard.

“Izumo-san, is it true, did you find Hinata?”

Izumo nodded, “hai, Hyuuga-dono, a presumed MIA Uchiha turned up carrying her, telling us he found a Kumo nin carrying her a few hours north from here. Assuming something wasn’t right he seemed to have incapacitated the delegate and made his way here with Hyuuga-hime on his back.”

Hiashi and Hizashi looked at each other, nodding once, before the younger took a step back and let his older brother step through the gate, following Izumo as the guard made his way back to the gate as the Hyuuga mentioned him to go first.

Obito looked up as the Sandaime arrived, chocking just a bit, bowing his head.

“I had heard something, but I didn’t want to believe Minato-sensei is actually gone.”

The Sandaime looked at him, “Uchiha Obito, you are quite the sight to see, one I and most others feared was wishful thinking.”

Obito nodded, “I presumed as much, Hokage-sama. I have selective memories from after the failed bridge mission. I was held captive by someone who introduced himself as Uchiha Madara, which is of course impossible. He was aided by a spectre of some kind, who kept on whispering things.”

Obito shook his head, “he told me, what happened that October 10th, but I refused to believe… I… I should have been here, defending my village. Instead, I was kept in what I think was a coma of some kind, woken up every few weeks to check up on whatever they were doing to me and how it affected me.”

Hiruzen looked at the shinobi in front of him, “I want to believe you, Uchiha-san.”

Obito nodded, “but there have been more fakes, I am aware, I don’t mind whatever it is you need to be assured that I am who I say I am.”

Hiruzen nodded, looking relieved at that answer.

Hiashi arrived soon after, bypassing the Hokage entirely as he went and picked up Hinata from where she was standing next to Obito.

“Hinata-chan, thank god.”

Hinata started sobbing again, telling her dad what had happened, what she remembered. And about Obito who had saved her from the Kumo nin.

Hiashi turned to Obito, Byakugan activated, “Uchiha-san, you have my thanks.”

Obito just nodded, “it is of no problem, Hyuuga-dono, Konoha needs to stand together to protect its young leaves.”

Hiashi smiled, “your sensei used to say the same thing.”

Obito nodded, “I know, it kept me going through these years. I know everyone would think I was dead, so I know they wouldn’t find me. But the moment I was awake and somewhat strengthened I got out of there.”

Hiruzen and Hiashi nodded, they could understand that. Even if the Hokage believed the man in front of him, he still needed to take some steps to make sure this wasn’t some elaborate ploy to get inside Konoha.

Holding up his hands, Obito said, “I will come along quietly, and will even accept a chakra suppresser seal, if it would be possible for someone to heal my ribs first, if possible Hokage-sama.”

Hiruzen nodded, “I’ll escort you to the ANBU holding cells then, Uchiha-kun, where one of the medic-nin on duty can heal you. You’ll have to spend the night there I’m afraid, it’s late and I don’t think I have a Yamanaka on call tonight.”

Obito waved his hand, “I don’t mind, Hokage-sama, I can wait. For now, I am just so very happy to be home again.”

Hiruzen nodded, turning to Hiashi, he said, “why didn’t you take Hinata-chan home and I’ll keep you posted on her kidnapper.”

Hiashi nodded, his eyes flitting over to Obito briefly, “if you could, could you also keep me up to date about her saviour, Hokage-sama?”

Hiruzen nodded, before turning to the shadows, “Neko, Nezumi, can you take our… guest with us, while I escort Uchiha-san to the ANBU holding cells. We can tackle this in the morning when Inoichi comes in – both our hopeful Uchiha Obito, as well as the delegate who will have quite the explanation ahead.”

Both of the ANBU nodded, scooping up the Kumo delegate before disappearing again, Hiruzen keeping a hand on Obito’s arm to lead the young man to the ANBU holding cells.


	7. Chapter 7

Obito knew what he was getting into as he entered the ANBU headquarters, he also knew that most of these people had either worked with, or in the team of, Kakashi, so word would spread quickly about him being back into the village after years of being KIA.

He also expected to see Mikoto or Fugaku, as his parents were already dead this time – they were his next of kin as the Uchiha clean head and his wife.

Sighing, he turned to the medic nin in front of him, raising his shirt so she could heal his ribs that Kakashi had deliberately bruised in their spar a few hours ago. They were still shinobi, and no one would believe him if he entered Konoha again without any wounds from his captivity.

Especially when he would tell them what he knew about Zetsu’s plans, in the hope that they would all be prewarned now, instead of finding out too late and giving Kaguya a chance to win. She wouldn’t, and couldn’t, be allowed to win. Not this time.

Nodding to the medic nin as she stopped channelling medical in her hands and took them away from his ribs, allowing him to be bale to breath more easily now that they were healed.

“I was told I would need to spend a night in the holding cells here, at least until a Yamanaka can be called in.”

Taka, Hawk, which should be Shisui looked and nodded at him, gesturing that he should follow, which he did. He had nothing to hide and wanted to take this chance to make Konoha a better place than it was before – to be sure the Uchiha clan flourished in the years to come, to see his kids growing up to be magnificent, and to finally be able to have all the time in the world with Kakashi without a deranged son, or his power-mad mother, to prevent that.

Looking back at Taka, he saw his younger cousin almost gaping at him, not that he could be blamed, the last time he saw Shisui, the boy had been four years old, while he was 12 now. No doubt Mikoto and Fugaku would be informed of his return the moment the other Uchiha was off duty before the night was over.

This would make it all so much easier, he needed a Yamanaka to look through his brain, to hear the things he heard while in captivity. He needed the Uchiha clan head here, to hear just what was done in the name of their ancestor and what would happen should Zetsu be allowed to do so.

Nodding once more, he laid down on the bank in his cell, ready to sleep and order the memories he did have to his disposal, quite a few were sealed by Naruto, but with only Jiraiya even close on the level his blond student was, he didn’t fear anyone discovering he had sealed memories.

Soon, he would be able to live in Konoha once more, and spend all the time he wanted with Kakashi, and the kids. He had missed them, and being together with all of them, after years of them all being team Bijuu.

Closing his eyes, a smile made his way onto his face, he was looking forward to tomorrow.

Shisui ran toward the main house, knowing that at least Fugaku-sama would be awake at this hour. He needed to share just what had happened this evening/night, especially as their once presumed KIA cousin, Obito, had found his way back to Konoha.

Knocking on the door, a stern voice called him to enter, which he did.

Bowing to his clan head, Shisui sat down next to Fugaku and told the other man of what had happened. The older man’s eyebrows climbing higher and higher onto his forehead as he spoke. Which Shisui couldn’t blame the man for, to hear someone presumed dead had made their way back to Konoha – saving the Hyuuga heiress while he was at it, it almost sounded a bit too good to be true, and a ploy of an enemy to get in their good graces, only to stab them in the back.

Fugaku stayed quiet for some time after he finished talking, before looking Shisui in the eye.

“Obito was your first cousin, Shisui, how likely is it that this is indeed him?”

Shisui swallowed thickly, “about 99%, Fugaku-sama. I am quite sure he recognized me when he looked at me, even if I was wearing an ANBU mask. Not only that, but I heard him quoting Yondaime-sama in a way that only Obito, and Kakashi, ever did.”

Swallowing once more, Shisui added, “he was also looking around in wonder, as if he was truly happy to be back home.”

Fugaku pursed his lips, “I think this calls for us to meet with the Hokage and participate in the interview of this man – cousin or not, we cannot endanger Konoha in such a way, should it still be a plot in the end.”

Shisui nodded, before entering the house further to rouse Itachi and explain to him what was going on, while Fugaku did the same to a recently awoken Mikoto. He, Shisui and Itachi would go and meet with the Hokage, to know for sure of this was their long lost cousin, or an imposter.

Mikoto just nodded, holding a hand in front of her mouth. She had always been closer to Obito, his mother being her own cousin, and seeing him grow up – only to lose him as a chuunin had devastated his mother who had taken her own life, as she believed she’d lost both her husband and son and was incapable of being active once again because of an injury sustained in the third war.

Fugaku pressed a kiss to her cheek before beckoning Itachi and Shisui to follow him back to the Hokage tower – where, as he suspected, the Hokage was waiting for him, as was custom, so the clan head, or a representative of the clan, could be present for what was coming next.

Kakashi woke up, contemplating on how soon he would know that Obito was back in Konoha, and being tested and interrogated at T&I. He, of course, didn’t worry all that much, but he still had a part to play.

For all everyone knew, his best friend had died years ago, without knowing he was his best friend – they had been at odds as teens. But as he got older, he started to see Obito that way, and after the 4th war, he had finally admitted to himself, and later to Obito that the feelings he had were very differently than just friendship.

With the birth of team Bijuu, and the kids not caring about them being together in the slightest, they were able to explore a part of themselves they never were able to before. Had never thought possible, and only probably because of what they mad been through, separately, but also together.

Now, they would have more time to be together in a way both of them wanted, and, more importantly, no one would remember or even know what Obito had done in his brainwashed state – a very different scenario than what had happened in their original timeline, where only team Bijuu treated Obito indifferently – while others were hostile towards the older Uchiha.

Laying in bed, he heard the door open, and a blond head popping up next to his bed.

Now that Naruto was officially living with him, the blond had taken this opportunity to spend as much time together as they could, coming into his room in the morning to cuddle – platonically – now that their resident sunshine didn’t have his Uchiha to cuddle with.

Feeling the blond, his little brother in all but blood, settle against his side, he glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye.

“Do you think everything went fine with Obito-nii?”

Kakashi nodded, “we would have noticed if something went amiss, Naru, don’t worry. In fact, I expect one of my old colleagues or Kohai will be here within the hour to tell me, gently, that someone who appeared to be Obito appeared last night.”

Naruto nodded, “I know that, but it just isn’t the same now that we’re not all, together. I know I see Sasuke more than before, but we still haven’t been able to include Sakura with us, and I miss her.”

Kakashi nodded, “I miss her too, but after the next weekend, you and Sasuke, and Sakura, will start the academy, giving you all a chance to ‘meet up’ and become the best of friends.”

Naruto nodded, “do… do we have to sit out all 6 years of the academy?”

Kakashi shrugged, “that’s up to you to decide if you want to do that, or not. You’re adults in children’s bodies, I won’t treat you, any of you, as the children to appear to be, as I know better then that. Konoha can only profit from team Bijuu graduating early.”

Naruto hummed, “I’ll talk it over with Sasuke and Sakura as soon as we’re all in the academy and see what they want to do about it.”

Kakashi chuckled, “also, I never expected you to have the patience to sit through 6 years at the academy again, not after everything that happened.”

Naruto opened his mouth a few times, before turning his head away from his Big Brother.

The voice of his main partner sounded through his head, **“He got you there, kit…”**

Grumbling at Kurama, he couldn’t help but agree with the fox, he just wouldn’t have the patience to sit through the academy again. Not to mention he was an Uzumaki, he wasn’t made to sit still and listen to a teacher for 6 years. That’s why he couldn’t concentrate the first time he went to the academy, too much theory, to little practice. Not to mention, he grew bored as he was forced to sit still for a long period of time – this wouldn’t help that in the slightest.

Rubbing his head against Kakashi’s side, he yawned, “soon, we’ll all be together again, meaning we can start working towards a plan to tackle Zetsu and the ultimate Tsukuyomi, dealing with it once and for all, before it becomes a problem.”

Kakashi nodded, “we will, Naruto, now have another nap, we will have a few busy days ahead – now that Obito had risen from the dead.”

Back in the ANBU headquarters, Obito found that he was quite well rested, he had been able to fall asleep quickly and was more than ready for whatever was going to happen today. He didn’t really have anything to hide, and anything that wasn’t supposed to be shown, was blocked by Naruto.

This would all be fine, meaning he would walk out of here in the late afternoon, a free man, alive, and reinstated as a Konoha shinobi once more.

Looking up as the door to the cells opened, and admitted Sandaime-sama, Yamanaka Inoichi, Fugaku-sama, Itachi and Shisui, he knew they would be it – the reason they went through all this trouble to get him there, to warn all of them of what was to come.

Inoichi took a seat on the other side of the bars, “Uchiha-san, I will explain what I am going to do. However, should you resist, this will be seen as you are being a sleeper agent for another village, and you will be dealt with.”

Obito nodded, “I know, Yamanaka-sama, I just want to be able to come home now, so whatever it is you need to do, I will give my full cooperation.”

Inoichi nodded, looking at the Sandaime and Fugaku, both nodding, and set to work, pressing the tips of his fingers to Obito’s head. As he did so, Obito made sure to push everything still available to the forefront, to let him see, to let him know, and to prove his alliance to Konoha, and her leaves.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Here have a double chapter :D

As Inoichi pulled back from the young Uchiha’s mind, he was only glad to know that this man hadn’t become insane with everything he had been through, heard or was told. To know that everything you ever knew was lost – and still have the will, the will of fire, to go on and persevere was a show of the man’s immense strength.

Turning towards the Hokage, he nodded, “this is Uchiha Obito, Hokage-sama, he has been held captive by what appeared to be Uchiha Madara, or someone pretending to be him, as well as a spectre that calls itself Zetsu.

Obito made sure to flinch as he heard the name, not that it needed a lot of acting, after everything the spectre had done to him, his team, and to Konoha and the world, Obito couldn’t help but fear the creature and what lengths is would go to, to accomplish his goal.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see the Hokage looking at him with kind eyes, but it was not the eyes he longed to see, the ones that he wanted to be forgiven by.

“It’s true then, about Sensei, and Kushina-Hime?”

Sandaime-sama and Fugaku-sama exchanged looks, before the Uchiha clan head nodded his head, “I am afraid so, Obito.”

Swallowing around the crop in his throat, Obito looked at Fugaku again, “and Rin…”

Fugaku looked away, “was killed in action about 6 months after you were taken.”

Biting his lip, Obito nodded, “so what they told me was true.”

Fugaku blinked, “what they told you?”

Obito nodded again, “they, Madara and Zetsu, they told me of what happened to Rin, and to Sensei and Kushina-Hime, in an effort I think to turn me against my believes. Especially when they kept on highlighting that Kakashi wasn’t able to save them. I… I know he wouldn’t be, he was a great shinobi, but he isn’t a god or anything.

I… I had a feeling they would start with more drastic measures soon, which is why I took whatever strength I had and made my way out of there. I didn’t want to be a sitting duck and wait for whatever it was that would happen – from the snippets I heard while they were talking it was nothing good.”

As he said this, Obito looked at his lap as he recounted each and everything he remembered from his time in captivity, as well as things from the future he knew were set in stone, if only to make sure Konoha, and the world had time to prepare for that. He wouldn’t let anything like before happening again, not while he could help it. Especially not when he knew he would have Kakashi and the kids there with him to help make sure they didn’t happen.

When he looked up again, his voice hoarse from talking so long, he could see the looks on all of their faces, disbelieve, even if a look to Inoichi let them know it was all true.

Sandaime-sama sighed, “that is a lot to process, Obito-kun, do you think you’d be able to write it all down in a report, so we can go over it as many times as we want to begin making counter plans?”

Obito nodded, before trying to speak and no words came out. Shisui disappeared and reappeared with a glass of water in his hands.

Obito took the glass to take little sips from it, before turning back to the Hokage, “I would, Hokage-sama, if you were to grand me a few days to write it up, I’m afraid I won’t be able to write it all out in one sitting.”

Sandaime-sama waved a hand, “granted, take as long as you’d like, Obito-kun, from what you are telling me, we’ll still have a few more years before everything starts going into effect, we can use that time to make plans, and spread this information through the nations.”

At the looks of the other Uchiha’s faces, he explained, “from what I understand, this won’t be an issue for Konoha alone, but for all the nations, if I can help the others get a head start, even if this might inconvenient us, we should – after all, what good is it if there is no world left to fight over.”

Obito nodded, before finished the rest of his glass of water, “what happens now, Hokage-sama?”

Hiruzen smiled, “now, my boy, you get to go home for the first time in a very long time, to relax and reflect on what had been going on. I have no doubt that someone went and told Kakashi about this, so expect to see him soon too.

You deserve all the rest you could possibly need for the next few weeks, that is if you want to keep being an active shinobi. Other then that, I think you family will be elated at having you home again.”

With that the Hokage dismissed them, opening the cell door and signing to the ANBU on the other side that the matter was resolved, as well as verifying that this was indeed Uchiha Obito.

Several people, one who Obito realised was Tenzo, vanished, no doubt to go and tell Kakashi about what had happened and who had suddenly turned up again.

Sighing, but smiling, Obito stood and followed his uncle, as well as his cousins out of the building, both Itachi and Shisui flanking him, ready to catch him should his injuries catch up to him again. He didn’t have the heart to tell them that he was fine, enjoying the attention he had of his family.

His eye fell on the streets in front of him, as well as the people staring at his face, he frowned, forgetting that it was so marred with scars.

Shisui touched his hand, “don’t, Obito-nii, these are a sign of how strong you are and what you have survived, don’t ever try to hide it from the world, especially not when these show just what kind of clan the Uchiha are, as well as what kind of Nin Konoha has.”

Grinning at the words his cousin said, Obito couldn’t help but agree, after all these scars were signs of what he went through and what he survived – it only made his stronger, and made them something to be proud of, instead of ashamed of.

On the other side of Konoha, a furious knocking woke Kakashi from his nap with Naruto, the silver haired jounin getting up with a groan, to open the door, not at all shocked to see Tenzo standing there – a slightly worried look on the Mokuton user’s face.

“Sempai, I think you need to sit down for this.”

Playing along and sitting down on the coach, after he invited the other jounin inside, Kakashi looked at the man sitting next to him, making a show of widening his eyes at what he was hearing, only to jump to his feet the moment Tenzo finished speaking.

“I need to go and see him.”

Tenzo clicked his tongue but took a hold of Kakashi’s arm and set him down on the coach again, “maybe wait until he is settled in at the Uchiha compound once more, sempai? I am unsure of the details, but from what we heard, Uchiha-san had been through an awful lot – wouldn’t it be better to let his get used to being home again, before you overwhelm him?”

Kakashi sighed, before letting himself sink all the way into the couch, his head tilted back to rest on the backrest.

“I guess you have a point there, but I do need to see him, if only to apologize.”

A yawn from the bedroom made them both look up to see Naruto entering the sitting room, the young boy rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and covering a yawn with the other hand.

“Kashi-nii, what’s going on?”

Tenzo couldn’t believe the change that went through Kakashi as the older man smiled softly at the young boy in front of them.

“Hi Naru, this is my friend Tenzo. He came to tell me that a very good friend of mine came back from his long mission to see us.”

Naruto grinned and waved at Tenzo, looking at the man with a look of concentration on his face, “ah, you’re one of the masks at Jiji’s side, the one with the wood feel!”

Tenzo could only gape at the sensory capabilities of the young child in front of him, he had noticed it before, when he was in the guard detail of the Hokage when the man went to tell Naruto that he could live with his father’s only living student, the newly dubbed Kashi-nii, and even then, the boy had been able to point out his chakra nature.

Smiling, he nodded, “hello, Naruto, yes, that would be me. Although I would appreciate it if you kept that part a secret, as people aren’t supposed to know who’s in ANBU and who’s not.”

Naruto nodded very convincingly, “I promise not to tell anyone, Tenzo-san.”

Tenzo nodded, before looking at Kakashi with a question in his eyes, making the older man sigh, “I made a point of telling him bedtime stories about his parents and our team, so he can have some memories of them, even if they’re second hand. He knew that they are, or were, all dead, but I don’t really know how to tell a 5 year old that someone we all thought was dead suddenly came back to life.”

Tenzo tilted an eyebrow, before looking back to where Naruto was seated, only to see the little boy in the kitchen getting himself a glass of milk. So, he hadn’t heard that part of the conversation yet, Tenzo shook his head, he also had no idea how to tell a 5 year old that.

Kakashi shrugged, “we’ll get there when we get there then, I guess. For now, I’ll wait to go see Obito and make a stop at the compound in the afternoon.”

Turning to Naruto, he added, “Naru, want to go and visit Sasuke this afternoon?”

A whoop of joy told the adults all they needed to know, it made them smile too, especially Kakashi, as he knew what it would bring along for all of them in the future.

Obito settled in quite nicely at the main house of the compound. Mikoto was there to welcome him home, tears coming down her cheeks as she hugged him close, his hands trembling for a moment, before he hugged her back.

He knew this had been planned, but it was still different to do the theoretical thinking and actually being here to hug his family once more. Even if his parents weren’t here to see it, he was happy he at least had his aunt, uncle, and cousins.

Mikoto pushed him back to look at his face, “you look so much like your father, Obito, I know he would just be so very proud of you.”

Obito gave a watery grin, hoping that the man he had looked up to all his life would indeed think that about him. Even if a part of him would keep on believing not even his parents would forgive him for all the things he had done.

Mikoto hugged him to her once more, before ushering him into her house, where breakfast was spread out onto the table, Sasuke was seated there and did a wonderful, surprised look as he looked up as his family entered.

“Kaa-chan, is this the cousin you were telling me about.”

Mikoto smiled and nodded, “indeed, Sasuke-chan, this is Obito, your cousin, he came back from a very long mission, but he’ll be here for the time being.”

Obito smiled at the youngest Uchiha in the household, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Sasuke-chan.”

Sasuke nodded, a smile on his face, “glad to have you here, Obito-nii. Can you show me cool tricks like Shisui and Itachi-nii do?”

All of them could hear Shisui grumbling in the background about how Sasuke never called him nii-san, but Obito just smiled and nodded, “I will, as soon as I am rested from this mission I was on, if that’s ok?”

Sasuke nodded, “Kaa-chan, Tou-san and Nii-san always tell me it is very important to rest after a long mission, so I don’t mind at all, Obito-nii.”

Out of the corner of their eyes, Obito and Sasuke could see Mikoto, Fugaku and Itachi looking at Sasuke with pride in their eyes. Part of Obito wanted to chuckle, if only they knew what Sasuke was capable off – but they would find out.

As much as it pained him, Obito was sure Zetsu would start putting his plans into action, meaning that now that he didn’t have Obito there to control, he would go looking for someone else, or in the worst kind of scenario, take over the Akatsuki and make sure the Bijuu were captured way earlier. A desperate man did desperate things, after all – even if he wasn’t sure one could call Zetsu a man.


	9. Chapter 9

As he had promised, Kakashi waited until the afternoon before going to the Uchiha compound, a smiling Mikoto opened the door and beamed at seeing him and Naruto standing there.

“We were waiting for you to show up, Kakashi.”

Turning to Naruto, she added, “Naru, Sasuke is with Shisui and Itachi at the Uchiha training field, maybe you can join him while us adults talk?”

Naruto made a show of looking at Kakashi for permission, before nodding as his guardian nodded at him. He knew the way towards the training field, and even if he didn’t, he could feel Sasuke’s chakra calling out to him like a beacon.

With Naruto joining Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui, Mikoto took a step to the side to let Kakashi enter, smiling softly at him.

“He’s still adjusting, but he passed all the tests they put him through. It is really Obito, Kakashi, he did come back to us.”

When Kakashi entered the living room, he was shocked to see Obito sitting there, not at seeing Obito – he had been seeing his lover over the past weeks after all, but at seeing his so carefree, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Even more so at the way he was smiling at something Fugaku was telling him.

Grinning like some fool, he approached and saw the exact moment Obito noticed him too, the Uchiha standing and taking a step towards him.

They were hugging before they both noticed it, so happy to not have to hide anymore, what would make it better was if they could just…

Kakashi blinked as Obito’s lips found his, he hadn’t been expecting that, but who was he to deny this – not after everything they had been through. He did think he heard Mikoto whisper ‘finally’ but decided to ignore it.

Pulling apart, he rests his forehead against Obito’s, looking into the other’s eyes a soft smile on his face.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.”

Obito smiled, “get used to it, Kakashi, I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

Grinning wider, Kakashi nodded, “I sure hope not.”

As they took a seat, Obito turned to Kakashi, “I know… about what happened to Rin, and to Sensei, and Kushina-Hime.”

Kakashi froze, of everything that he had expected Obito to open with, this hadn’t been it. Frowning, he looked down, not knowing what to say.

“You don’t have to say anything, it’s just… they told me that, tried to turn me against you, and against Konoha, with the notion that I would think you failed in keeping your promises to me. To watch out for Rin, and to make sure Sensei and Kushina-hime grew old and happy.

But Kakashi, I also know you, and I know you would have done everything in your power to protect them. I know what shinobi life could be, so how could I possible hate you for this.”

Kakashi looked at Obito, knowing that in another life, that kind of talk had worked on the Uchiha, and made him turn to hatred – thinking that he could bring Rin and Sensei and Kushina back at the beckoning of a mad spectre.

Taking the other’s hand, Kakashi kept on looking down, “I… I killed Rin.”

Obito shook his head, “you helped her protect Konoha. Madara, he told me he had helped Kiri seal the Sanbi in an unstable seal in Rin, if she had made it back to Konoha, it would have broken out and killed her anyway. This way, she made sure it wouldn’t get to Konoha, even if it weren’t nice of her to use you to commit suicide.”

Grabbing Obito around the shoulders, Kakashi hid his face in the other’s shoulder, whispering how he had wanted to hear that from someone for so long. After everything that happened, he knew that Rin was unwillingly made a Jinchuuriki, but that didn’t stop him from feeling awful that he killed her.

Running a hand though gravity defying silver hear, Obito sighed, “you did everything you could to protect our precious people, Kakashi, there wasn’t anything more you could do. If I understand correctly, you even fought and, in the end, you won, to be able to raise Sensei’s son.”

Kakashi nodded, “Naruto has been living with me for almost 2 weeks now, and it’s just so sad and joyous to see him all the time, especially with the way he takes after both his parents.”

Obito smiled, “can you tell me about him?”

Back in the kitchen Mikoto couldn’t help but smile, she had been seeing the bound Kakashi and Obito shared for years before. She also knows that the reason both of them got so annoyed at the other was because of the underlying feeling neither of them had discovered yet.

But to see them finally getting those, even if it took one of them supposedly dying, was a bit harsh in her opinion. But still, it filled her with warmth to know that this had still happened.

“Kushina would be so happy to know those two did finally find their way to the other.”

Fugaku hummed, “she would, as would Minato, both of them kept hoping the revelation would present itself soon, of course then Kanabi bridge happened and we know how all of it changed after that.”

Mikoto nodded, a sad look on her face, before she grinned, “I still can’t wait until the whole of Konoha knows about this. Kakashi was always emotionally unavailable, but now he is actually taken, with Obito back in his life.”

Fugaku snorted, “those poor fangirls.”

Mikoto smiled, “serves them right, thinking that bagging a shinobi husband gives them all kind of privileges, not when you don’t do anything while they risk their lives for the better of the village.”

Fugaku shrugged, “I don’t think any of them will ever learn, just look at all of those chasing Itachi and Shisui.”

Mikoto blinked, “there are fangirls chasing Itachi and Shisui.”

Fugaku winced, “maybe…”

Mikoto growled, “not on my watch.”

With that the matriarch made her way to the training field, where indeed there were several civilian girls around her boys, all with an almost lustful look in their eyes, while they were sizing up all three of the Uchiha there. They were ignoring Naruto however, with one girl sneering at the blond when he tried to herd them further away.

Mikoto hummed, to which Naruto looks her way and beams up at her, not that the civilian girl noticed. The shinobi, or future shinobi in Sasuke’s case, however followed Naruto’s gaze and let out a sigh of relief at seeing her.

“Excuse me, you’re all trespassing, please leave.”

Several of the girls squeaked, before one brave one asked, “What about the blond brat, he doesn’t live here either.”

Mikoto blinked a few times, “that blond brat happens to have a standing invitation to the compound, young lady, now I would watch your tone before I take this to the Hokage. And let me tell you, he won’t let you get away with looking down on the Yondaime’s son, especially not after everything he did for this village. Now scram!”

As none of the girls moved, too shocked by the news that Naruto was the son of the Yondaime, Mikoto clicked her fingers, to which several Uchiha guards appeared and lead the girls of the property, the oldest, cousin Kyoya, nodded at Mikoto to let her know he would spread the world to let the others in the guard know that none of these were ever welcome in the compound again.

With that taken care off, she looked at her boys again, “are you all fine.”

All four of them nodded, to her relief, she couldn’t believe that these people had the nerve to just enter private properly to ogle clan members, all because their parents tell them to marry a shinobi and to further the family in their eyes.

However, most of the Shinobi clans would never marry a civilian, unless she was part of a clan, for the single reason that civilians, normal ones at that, didn’t know what shinobi live entailed and expected their spouse to suddenly change.

Or in other cases, they’d married a shinobi for the money and don’t stay with the person they married but did try anything in their power to keep getting the money their former spouse brings in – it was a despicable thing that had been happening since the founding of Konoha.

“Now then are you all ready to come home for a snack?”

All four of them nodded, with Sasuke and Naruto coming to walk next to her as they made the short trip back to the main house.

“Ne, Mikoto-baa-chan, is it true that Obito-nii was my father’s student too?”

Mikoto nodded, “he is, but he went away for a long time, he only recently came back, which is why we asked you all to stay outside for a moment. He and Kakashi needed time to catch up with certain topics, and we felt they needed to privacy to do that.”

As they entered the living room, Itachi and Shisui’s eyes were glued on the clasped hands between Obito and Kakashi, both of them grinning before they disappeared in a shunshin. Making Kakashi groan.

“There goes the chance of keeping this quiet for a little while longer.”

Obito smiled, “I don’t mind, not about the whole village knowing I am back – which will probably already have been making its way through the grapevine, nor about this, no matter how new it is. You won’t lose me again, Kakashi.”

Kakashi grinned, totally besotted, making Mikoto giggle and Fugaku sigh, before he turned to Sasuke.

“You ready for the academy, Sasuke, I know Naruto hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

Sasuke nodded, “yeah, especially since Naruto and I will be going together. That and I want to become an awesome shinobi like Nii-san.”

This made all of the time travellers smile, now that Sasuke had the time, and the knowledge, he did everything he could to make sure he had a great relationship with his older brother. Itachi loved the fact that Sasuke seemed to be as smart as him, and was often found quizzing him, or even explaining him.

As such it was no secret Sasuke could already use chakra and had a very good grip on the great fireball technique.

Kakashi and Obito had to stifle a laugh at the knowledge that their kids would be blowing everyone away tomorrow. After all, first few weeks of the academy were filled with lectures, before after a few weeks, students their chakra system was unlocked, and they would start with low level exercises.

Obito and Kakashi had an ongoing bet that their three kids would break the current record of being in the academy, even if it were peace time, and the Sandaime didn’t want to let genin graduate too early.

Mikoto smiled at Naruto, “what about you Naruto, what are you looking forward to?”

Naruto shrugged, “learning new things.”

This almost had Obito and Kakashi wince, the first time no one accounted for Naruto being an Uzumaki and as such incapable for sitting still, as well as needing a more practical approach to things. Hopefully, this time it would go easier, especially with all the Bijuu there to help him should he not understand with the lectures the teachers were prone to give in an effort to give as much information as possible to their students.

Only this time, the academy would need to deal with three overpowered children, masquerading as genin, while all three of them were easily jounin level, with Sasuke and Naruto approaching Kage level, even if they both hide a part of their chakra reserves, to make sure no one asked difficult questions.

However, both Kakashi and Obito were aware that there was a possibility that with Zetsu’s unpredictability, they needed to give up their secret sooner than they expected, for the sake of Konoha. While that was a triumph card they would like to keep until the last possible moment, they had also all agreed that Konoha became before their secret, it always would.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it isn't some big reveal or anything, but the pace will pick up from now on :)

The next morning was met with a bouncing Naruto, Kakashi only had to chuckle at the way his blond little brother was running around the apartment, making sure he had everything ready for his first day at the academy. They had agreed to meet up with Obito and Sasuke, walking towards the academy together – in an effort to talk to each other without too many people listening in.

It might also have something to do with Itachi and Shisui making their way to the ANBU headquarters to tell everyone who wanted to hear that he was finally off the market, together with the person everyone guessed he would end up with.

After seeing so many versions of himself and Obito however, Kakashi couldn’t blame them all for thinking that he and Obito would make a wonderful couple – I mean, they were a wonderful couple, but to anyone except their little monsters, this was a new thing, not something already cultivated over several years.

Chuckling once more as Naruto bounced in his chair as he ate breakfast, Kakashi grinned at the blond and said, “I’m going to take a guess that you’re really looking forward to going to academy.”

The blond glared at his older brother figure, knowing that the older man knew why he and Sasuke were looking forward to going to academy again, after all, it would give them their third team member again. After all, he and Sasuke had a reason to be seeing each other a lot, especially now that Obito was back in Konoha – and them forming a couple so much earlier in life.

But Sakura didn’t have that, she was told by her parents to go to the academy and to find a wealthy heir she wanted to marry. Before they were the main reason, she had a falling out with Ino, as her parents had pushed her towards Sasuke, who didn’t have anyone else looking over him after his family was killed.

A knock on their door had Kakashi stand, letting Obito and Sasuke enter and take a seat at the table to eat a bite with them. Once at the table, Naruto slapped a seal on the table, encasing them into a bubble that would keep every sound in it – no one would be able to hear what it was they were talking about.

“So, what is the plan, now that you’re all starting the academy.”

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, before answering, “Sakura told us that she was teased a lot on the first day of the academy, by other civilian kids, because of her large forehead. If we manage to get in between that instead of Ino, we’ll have a plausible reason as to why we’re hanging around with a civilian girl, especially now that the Hokage had limited their say into shinobi matters.”

Kakashi nodded, he remembered the young woman telling him something similar.

Obito bit his lip, “what if her parents don’t let her join the academy, after all, last time they allowed her to be able to find a rich husband and to make sure they could retire by the time she was 18.”

Sasuke and Naruto snorted, before they said, “then we’d have a similar situation as with the waging clan area, someone would have been punched through a wall, and we’d have Sakura living here with us. No matter if these are her parents, she won’t let them dictate what she wants to be, especially now that she really wants to be a Kunoichi.”

This had both Obito and Kakashi smiling, from all of them, it was Sakura who had the shortest fuse, and who was the first one to react – mostly by hitting something.

Sasuke and Naruto laughed, “we’ll be fine, Nii-san, both – all three of us will be fine. We’ll see what will happen. Let’s start with the academy, within moments we should be able to take over the world.”

This had Kakashi and Obito laughing, they did look forward to the world discovering just what powerhouses Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were and just how much they would need them once Zetsu actually started with his mad plan.

Obito sighed, “just… see if Sakura is able to come with you soon, we need to have a war counsel. Both Kashi and I are afraid that Zetsu will sense something is wrong, and will push his plans forwards, and who knows what will happen then.

There’s already so much changing with us being here, who knows what else will change, I don’t want to be the reason Zetsu starts with something we won’t be able to stop.”

**“Uchiha, you need to stop.”**

Looking up they saw that Naruto’s eyes were red, meaning that Kurama was speaking right now.

**“We did what we could in the situation we were in. This isn’t ideal, but see this again as a new universe, just as the previous ones. Nothing we do here effects our own timeline, that is if we manage to find it again.”**

Obito looked away, “I don’t want to find it again, after everything that happened, we wouldn’t be able to be who we really are. Not in the way we can do that here.”

Kurama nodded, **“I know Naruto feels the same, we all do. We don’t know what happened to the other Jinchuuriki, but seeing as no war had broken out, we can assume they still exist, there’s just two of us – except me.”**

Sasuke snorted, “that’s because you’ve been with Naruto for too long, you took over some of his luck.”

Naruto’s mouth grinned too widely, the kitsune at the wheel right now grinning at the Uchiha, **“and I don’t mind in the slightest, Naruto really is the Old Man’s heir, as are you, take this opportunity to spread chaos and to remind some people here that you are who you are.”**

Sasuke smiled, “I think Naruto had us covered there, he took over the chaos making from you, as much as you took his luck from him.”

Kurama gave a last chuckle, before he gave over control to Naruto, the blond grinning as his eyes became blue again.

“We all agree that we just need to do what it right. Yeah, we’re here in what is essentially our past, but the reason we remembered is so that we can change what happens normally. Let’s make sure that happens too. We’re still team Bijuu and no one will take that away from us.”

All four of them were smiling as Naruto pulled the seal off of the table and popped the bubble, they were in. He gave some unused seals to Kakashi, knowing the silver-haired man would love to have some of those with him.

“Well, boys, let’s get you both to the academy and started on your shinobi career!”

Both Naruto and Sasuke cheered as they ran ahead of the two men, people turning and staring as it got through to them that 1. Uchiha Obito was indeed back in Konoha, 2. He was in a relationship with Hatake Kakashi and 3. Both of them, and the Uchiha clan was watching over Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto.

More than a few people stepped out of their way, especially now that the rumour mill of Konoha told everyone just who Naruto really was, why exactly he was living with Kakashi and why he had the backing of the whole Uchiha clan at his back.

Stepping onto the academy grounds, both boys said goodbye to their older brother figures, already waving at the other clan heirs they could see arriving. What they did notice was that fewer civilian children were entering the building. For a moment it made then scared that Obito would be right and Sakura wasn’t coming.

However, they were soon proved wrong when the girl stepped onto the grounds, a scowl on her face at what was most likely the aftermath of a spat with her mother. It hadn’t been a secret that her mother only wanted her in the academy so she could score a rich husband, not to actually become a kunoichi.

When she chooses that career path in the end, and was great at it, it resulted in a falling out between her parents and her. Before they left their own dimension, it had been before the 4th war since Sakura had spoken to her parents. With the way she was looking right now, them coming back might only fasten that process.

Wincing, neither of them said anything as Sakura walked towards them, much to the confusion of the other clan heirs. With so little civilian children, they wouldn’t be able to bond in the way they wanted. And for her to just start talking would raise to many question.

Sakura stopped in front of Naruto, “you’re Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, right?”

Naruto just nodded, exchanging a look with Sasuke, not knowing what was happening and what he needed to do.

Sakura nodded, “thought so, I’d like to apologize for my parents then, Namikaze-sama, they are dumb and want to believe the lie they told themselves and refuse to believe that you’re the real deal.”

Naruto blinked, “thank you, I guess.”

Sakura nodded, “Haruno Sakura, although I think I would like a different last name, such a troublesome last name.”

Turning to Sasuke, Sakura tilted her head, “you must be an Uchiha, no?”

Sasuke hn’ed, “Uchiha Sasuke, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, I’m sorry to just come barging towards you, but I’ve been reading up on things, as I really want to become a medic-nin. And I wanted to make a good impression.”

As she said this, the others approached, while the few civilians stayed out of their way, introducing themselves to the pink haired girl, and applauding her for looking beyond the narrow view her parents seemed to have. Even more so when she seemed to be the grown up one and came to apologize to Naruto for whatever her parents were saying, doing, or thinking about doing.

When a teacher came and got them, Sakura briefly squeezed both of their hands to apologize for going off the plan, not that either boy could blame her. But this would open up more doors for her, especially now that there had been more clan heirs present when she talked to Naruto and Sasuke – and who in turn would tell their parents about the ballsy civilian girl.

In the classroom, they were told to take a seat wherever, and to take out a pen and paper, so they could take notes on whatever would be told these following days.

Of course, the moment they went over everything they would be seeing in the next couple of years, Naruto held up a hand to ask about Fuuinjutsu, Sakura followed with a question on medical justu and Sasuke, shockingly, asked of there would be history lessons included – they after all knew what had really happened at the start of the shinobi era, not to forget they had connections who had been there at the start.

The chuunin at the front, not Iruka-sensei, hadn’t known what to answer on those questions, and had just stammered he’d ask around and see if they would cover that, much to the disappointment of the three power houses.

Their lunch was spent in class, together with Sakura and the other clan heirs, talking about what had happened these last few days – the return of Uchiha Obito, the relation between him and Hatake Kakashi, and the safe return of Hyuuga Hinata were some of the topics. All of which were asked if Sasuke or Naruto knew more about those events.

To get back at all those times Kakashi had been late to their team meeting, both Sasuke and Naruto revealed every detail, especially how sickly sweet Obito and Kakashi were as a couple, despite only finding each other again yesterday.

Shikamaru, and even Neji when the older boy had joined them, said their parents told them after the news got around that both boys had been circling around each other for years, so to hear they finally realised what they felt for the other was a relief.

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke almost snorted, as it had taken a very long time for both of them to realise what they feelings they felt were, and even longer to act on those. But, they were happy for the men, and happy that they would have time to spend it together with each other for a much longer time than before.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Have a double upload!

With them starting the academy and with the way Sakura profiled herself on the first day, it came to no surprise that she was the only civilian born who could be found hanging around with the clan heirs, and who made a name for herself, even among to clans to be at the academy, and in the company of the clan heirs to learn how to be a kunoichi.

She didn’t act like a fangirl, even among those of the Uchiha or, when it came out, Naruto. As a matter of fact, every time fangirls approached one of the clan heirs, or seemed to think that by squealing and acting like a fool you’d get more attention, she’d scoff and start a conversation with whoever was around.

What was noticed however, was that she became very close to both Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, although it seemed to be just a very strong friendship (if only they knew).

As expected, Sakura and Ino also gravitated towards each other, and while they didn’t have the bond, they had like Sakura remembered, there also wasn’t a budding rivalry because now neither felt the pressure to fit in with other girl (who had been civilian – with the exception of Hinata) when they had all started chasing after Sasuke.

Luckily, it would seem that most of the girls dropped out of the academy, especially after the Hokage announced the civilian counsel wouldn’t have anymore say into what was taught – making it go back to the way it had been when the Yondaime was Hokage.

As such, most of the civilian girls, and a few boys, got a real look into what Shinobi life would entail and decided they’d be better off working with their parents, or taking on a trade, instead of becoming a shinobi.

After a few weeks, when it wasn’t that odd that Naruto invited Sasuke and Sakura to Kakashi’s apartment, where Obito had moved in officially as well (real shocker there) all three of them compared the people who left to those that never made it to genin I the first place. Or to those few that never made it home from their first C-rank.

Not only that, but all three of them agreed that the way the academy was run, was much smoother and more adapted to clan children, who had a larger chakra reserve, knew or at least had some knowledge of certain techniques and were well aware off what the shinobi life entailed – having grown up surrounded by other shinobi.

The only exception to this was Naruto, whose clan had been decimated in the second war, and whose parents had heroically sacrificed themselves for the sake of the village, and Sakura, who was civilian born, but who made up for that by reading a lot and trying to emulate Tsunade-hime in becoming a front line medic.

Seeing as none of them wanted to out themselves, they toned it down a bit, or a lot, and just gave the impression of being a budding sealing master, Kenjutsu specialist and frontline medic. It wasn’t that anyone would believe them if they tried to explain what they really could do – instead of the watered down version they were forced to adapt for as long as they weren’t genin.

But none of them actually minded now that Naruto wasn’t boycotted or deliberately held back for being a Jinchuuriki. They had even installed a lesson on those people, and the history of Jinchuuriki inside of Konoha. Some of the people a few years higher than them, looked at Naruto with wide eyes when they found out he held the same position as Uzumaki Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina had held before him. Even more so when they found out both woman were closely related to him.

Kakashi just hummed from where he was standing in the kitchen, cooking dinner for the 5 of them, finally all of his kids were together again, under his roof. A sentiment shared by Obito, who had pushed both boys aside to hug the only girl on their team, much to her joy.

Seated at the table, waiting for Kakashi to put the food on the table, they were talking over what they were going to do and how they would handle things I the future. After all, there was no guarantee they would have Obito or Kakashi as their jounin sensei now that about 20% of Konoha were sharingan users.

Naruto shrugged, “we’ll deal with that horde when we get there, for now, let’s just enjoy this semi-carefree life. I for one am glad to be able to learn the things I didn’t get a chance to last time, because of biased teachers or no one understanding just why I couldn’t keep still.

Now, everyone knows it’s because I just have too much chakra, which was already a problem as an Uzumaki, but being a Jinchuuriki had inky made it worse.”

A grumble could be heard from within him, making him smile. While the influx of chakra he got from his tenants, he wouldn’t change them for the world. After the war he had made an effort in getting to know each and every one of the Bijuu and they had let him – realising that he, and in a way Sasuke, where the people their father had spoken about. The future generation who would inherit his will.

Sasuke on the other hand, was beyond happy to have his family again, and he knew that there could be a falling out after everything became known, but he didn’t believe that would happen – at least not with those that were the most important to him. They would understand after they explained, and with Obito having submitted his report on what he remembered Zetsu to be up to, they all knew that when Hell was unleashed, everyone would be happy to have such an ace up their sleeves.

Sakura however was thinking about her parents and the way they kept on persuading her that stopping with the academy and helping them in their shop would be a good thing. Which only ended in a fight, when she would start about how they wanted her to enter the academy I the first place.

She knew it was because they were in the misconception that while there she could be on the lookout for a potential husband, who could bring in the cash with his mission, while she took over the shop from her parents.

But none of that was her ambition, especially not after she had found her place within team Bijuu, and as a medic, to now go back to being an actual civilian wasn’t something she could see herself doing ever again.

Sighing again, she looked up as the food was placed on the table, all the boys looking at her with worry in their eyes.

“It’s nothing, just the same old problems with my parents.”

Naruto frowned, “they still want you to drop out to work at their store?”

Sakura nodded, “yeah, especially now that they don’t have any say into shinobi matters anymore. Not after the Sandaime pulled all the changes Danzo made back and made sure that shinobi affairs will be settled by shinobi.”

Sasuke nodded, “it is a good thing though, I heard my father and Hiashi Hyuuga talk about how much more leeway they’re getting now that the civilian counsel was pushed back to only deciding about civilian matters.”

Naruto and Sakura blinked, “your father and Hiashi?”

Sasuke nodded, “ever since Obito saved Hinata and got cleared as actually being Obito, he stopped by a few times a week, and he and my dad got to talking, they found out they had a lot in common and have been using their newly found friendship to do something for the better of the village.”

This had all of them humming, smiling at Obito, who looked away with a shy smile, he had just done as Naruto suggested, in a way to strengthen the bounds between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, but to hear that it actually worked was amazing. It would also give them some leeway, as the Hyuuga were a cousin clan to both the Uchiha, the Senju, and the Uzumaki clans, they were just the only ones to remember as they had spoken to the Rokudo Sennin.

Pushing her food around on her plate, Sakura turned to the actual adults in the room and asked, “I think there will be a time my parents will just throw me out, am I still welcome here?”

Obito and Kakashi blinked, looked at each other, looked at Naruto and Sasuke, before looking at Sakura, “of course you are welcome here, Sakura, although I would need a bigger apartment.”

Naruto shrugged, “or we can open up the Uzumaki compound again. More then enough room, and it might come in handy later, if there are ever allies that need housing.”

Blinking, they looked at the blond, “Naruto, what do you know that we don’t?”

Said blond blinked a few times before biting his lip, “I don’t know, but I have this feeling we could use the space. As if there will be something in our future that would utilize all the room the Uzumaki compound has to offer.”

Before he could say anything else, his eyes turned red an Kurama said, **“O-tou-sama used to do the same thing, tell some random thing in the middle of a conversation that would turn out to be a foreboding to what was to come in the future. It was how he knew there would be people in the future that would carry his will, when everyone would think his teachings were lost.”**

This had the others blinking, “so Naruto can see in the future now.”

Kurama mentioned Naruto’s hand in a so-so motion, **“not totally, it’s more of a hunch that turns out to be true in the end. But it isn’t a premonition, and it isn’t set in stone or even clear as to what it means until much later.”**

As the blond’s eyes turned back to blue, he sighed, worrying his lip as he looked around the table, “the others filled me in while Kurama took over. Do you think we should prepare in case Zetsu starts his plan much sooner, or something else forces his hand?”

All the others nodded, “it could never hurt, and it prepares us for the moment we do have to come clean with whatever is happening to us. Soon people will start to notice we know things we shouldn’t know or can do things none of us should be able to.”

Sasuke snorted, “10 ryo on Naruto doing just that when we get to the Fuuinjutsu part of the academy.”

None of the others agreed, or denied that statement, just started laughing at the blond’s expense, but they all agreed that to be true in the end. Even Naruto, and the Bijuu, that as an Uzumaki he would start correcting whatever poor soul taught Fuuinjutsu at the academy.

Kurama even shared that Kushina had done the exact same thing, when she had been a student, and didn’t like the things the teacher had been saying about Fuuinjutsu. As Naruto shared this with the others, Kakashi and Obito recalled the story about that incident as one Minato had told them at one point. Which prompted them to share, partly because Naruto loved hearing stories about his parents, and because both Sasuke and Sakura looked up to the people that had created the sunshine that was their third genin teammate (even if this might be different this time around).

Whatever would come, they could take it, especially with everything they had already lived through. Zetsu could come right this moment, and they’d be able to defeat him and safe Konoha – even if they were in child’s bodies. They were team Bijuu, and they were here to protect their precious people, and enjoy having dinner with a majority of those people right now.


	12. Chapter 12

In the wet hillsides of Ame, a black spectre was raging and ranting about losing his puppet, not only that, but with Obito not there, he had no way of controlling the Akatsuki, who were getting more and more annoying as the days passed. Especially as everything he said was laughed away, they would not be doing this if they knew just who he was.

But revealing that part might put them against him, which wasn’t something he needed at the moment. He wasn’t as strong as O-Kaa-Sama had been, and not even on the same level as his brothers, no matter how much it hurt to admit that, or even his elder brother’s sons.

His speciality had been manipulation and making others see what he wanted them to see, it had been that quality that managed to turn Indra against his father’s teachings, and his younger brother. And it had been that which turned Madara against Konoha, and his best friend. It had even succeeded in turning Obito against Konoha, especially after the death of his love interest. So, to hear rumours that Obito had gotten away and made his way back to Konoha, proving to them that he was still loyal, made him suspect something else was amiss.

Something neither he, nor Madara, had accounted for when the older Uchiha died and left this plan in the hands of Obito. Even worse, now with Obito gone, Nagato was distancing himself, which was a no go, as Zetsu needed the Uzumaki to use his own lifeforce to bring Madara back to this plane.

Just as much as he needed Madara to take the Juubi into himself and be turned into O-Kaa-Sama, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t fail her, not after all the planning they had done to get her back from where Hagoromo had sealed her.

He sneered at the thought of his oldest brother, grinning as he thought about how much he would enjoy seeing the world he created turn to dust, Shinobi were an abomination, that O-Kaa-Sama would deal with, to ready the world for the Ootsutsuki, whether they liked it or not.

Slipping away into the ground, he made his way to the hideout he used to have with Madara, close to Kiri, thinking back about simpler times he wished were still upon them, even without the Bijuu, Madara had been a force to be recounted on, a true menace on the battlefield, and he longed to see the Elder Uchiha devastating battlefields once again.

Going over everything he found, he was trying to see where he, or they, had left a clue as to their true intentions, and as such a reason for Obito to abandon the plan they had fooled him into believing. All the younger Uchiha believed was that by capturing the Bijuu, they could cast a genjutsu over the world which would make it alright again – which would bring back the girl he fancied (which in reality, he would get to join her in death).

Finding nothing, Zetsu sneered again, there had to be some explanation as to why the younger Uchiha had suddenly dashed off, straight to Konoha even.

It was only then that he heard something, felt something, and almost believed that O-Kaa-Sama was here with him.

Following the feel of the chakra he remembered as his mother’s, he sunk into the ground and made his way towards it. Finding, to his astonishment, a part of the Shinju tree – a still alive part of the Shinju tree.

Approaching with caution, he still remembered what it could do, he found it to be dying, which hurt his heart, it was after all a part of O-Kaa-Sama, as much as O-Kaa-Sama had been a part of the tree.

Feeling it reach out to him, he touched it, feeling the remaining chakra flow into him, as well as memories it had from its last, partial, victims. Filtering through these memories, he cried out in rage.

That meddlesome Brother had given others his sealing capabilities, had chosen an Uzumaki and an Uchiha who embodied his will and even had access to the powers he had, he had even been able to make the Uzumaki descendant Jinchuuriki of all the Bijuu again, just like he had been – just like he had been able to seal mother, so would these two be able to.

It also solved the matter of Obito, he had been the pupil of the Uzumaki’s father, one Namikaze Minato, and had managed to overcome his brainwashing during a fourth shinobi war – and wasn’t that something, to know that they had been able to capture all the Bijuu and had released O-Kaa-Sama from the place she was sealed at.

Grinning, he knew that having succeeded once already, he would manage to do so again, especially with the chakra now running through him, which should be enough to kickstart the Gedo Mazo, and while slow, it would still be able to move around and help him capture the other Bijuu here – ending it with the Uzumaki and giving O-Kaa-Sama even more chakra than she ever had before.

Nodding to himself, Zetsu disappeared again, coming out just in front of the Gedo Mazo, which seemed to sense something, as it opened its mouth, taking in the chakra he had been gifted by the Shinju.

When it opened its eyes, Zetsu had to laugh, he wouldn’t need the Akatsuki after all, all he had needed were some careless time travellers who left him a boon, one he could use to bring his, and O-Kaa-Sama’s dream into reality.

Laughing, he couldn’t help but ponder on what this would mean for the hidden villages, nor the Shinobi, Konoha might know what was going on, with Obito spilling whatever it was that he knew, but none of the others knew – they would never suspect anything, and would become easy targets, almost sitting ducks just so that he could bring O-Kaa-Sama back, and sooner than he intended too.

Looking at the Gedo Mazo, he could feel its chakra multiplying, soon he would have a party unsealed Juubi on his hands, and the thought only made him laugh louder.

When some of the Akatsuki entered the room, they were shocked to find the statue gone and went to report this to Pain, as it would put a damper on all their plans for the future. Once in his office, they were shocked to hear that he had received a missive from Konoha explaining what Zetsu really was up to, making all of them agree that banding together was the best solution, as the end of the word had no merit, not even for missing nin.

Back in Konoha, Naruto suddenly jolted awake, the nine inside him equally uneasy and restless as he tried to breathe through the panic that overtook or tried to overtake him.

Jumping out of bed, he knocked on the door of his guardians’ bedroom, hearing Obito’s sleepy voice telling him to come inside.

Opening the door, he must have been as pale as he felt, as both Kakashi and Obito were out of bed in an instant, taking a hold of him to lead him to the bed to sit down, one on either side of him.

“What’s wrong, Naru?”

Naruto swallowed thickly, “I felt the Gedo Mazo going active a few minutes ago.”

Obito and Kakashi blinked at that, “do you know if anyone got taken?”

Naruto shook his head, “the chakra of one Bijuu isn’t enough to make it go active, we saw this last time, it needs at least 7 to move, and all 9 to start it’s transformation, so something must have happened, or the Akatsuki, or Zetsu managed to find a loophole that allowed it to go active way ahead of time.”

Obito worried his lip between his teeth, “he might have gone out looking for clues as to why I left, rumours of that should have reached him, especially with the delegation of Kuma coming to Konoha to retrieve their diplomat – even if the man will never be the same, the fact that Konoha didn’t execute him speaks to our advantage.”

Naruto and Kakashi nodded, “it does, but it also opens up the path of rumours flying around that could harm the timeline we thought we knew.”

A nudge from within had him turning to his tenants, **“Naruto, the moment you arrived here, you already changed the timeline, just as you did with all the other places you arrived at. That alone might be enough to change what we suspected might happen.”**

Naruto groaned, but relayed the message to Obito and Kakashi, both who nodded at that, when they started this dimension hopping adventure, they had suspected something like this might happen.

Kakashi ruffled Naruto’s hair, “don’t mind too much, Naru, we knew this might happen, and we can safely say we’ll be guarded against it. This Konoha isn’t like the original Konoha of this time, they have us to watch over them and to intervene with Zetsu and whatever plan he manages to start.”

Obito however, frowned, “Naru, do you, or one of the Bijuu know if the pathway we used was closed properly.”

Naruto shook his head, but asked the others if they had, with all of them also shaking their heads.

“We don’t, I know I was too busy making sure the chakra we had left was distributed between all of us, and we made it safe through as well as possible, which in the end already meant without our actual bodies. I know the Bijuu were the same, they agreed, and we didn’t look back towards the passage.”

Kakashi and Obito sighed, but nodded, understanding that at that time, their blond student had some other things on his mind then making sure the passage they had used closed behind them. And to be honest they couldn’t blame him either – he had been the one to save them after all, without Naruto there they would have died enclosed in the leaves of the Shinju, instead of getting another chance at life here.

“I’ll make sure to tell Sasuke and Sakura in class in the morning, and we might need to hold another meeting and discuss how to proceed, I know the Hokage send missives to all the other hidden villages about what he knew concerning Zetsu’s plans, but some might not read it because of strained relations with Konoha and letting Zetsu get the upper hand right now will not bring us good news in the coming months.”

Kakashi looked at Naruto, “you want to tell him?”

Naruto shrugged, “I want to talk about that option, yes, but I don’t know if actually telling him is that great of a plan, especially with how we essentially lied to our Hokage because of this. But something needs to be done before the Juubi awakens any further, bringing a war to the Hidden Villages that none of them are ready for.”

Obito and Kakashi were once again reminded that this wasn’t actual 5 year old Naruto, no matter how he looked, this was the hope of the Fourth Shinobi War, and one of the inheritors of the Rokudo Sennin, with how he looked and acted, to play the part, they sometimes forgot just what the blond was capable of.

So, both nodded, “you get Sasuke and Sakura up to speed in the morning, tell them what you told us and see if we can all have dinner again sometime this week. It might also be a point to consider starting to tell people, like Shisui and Itachi, for example, just as a precaution for when something would happen.”

Naruto worried his lip between his teeth, before nodding he would pass the message to Sasuke and Sakura, telling people might be the best option they had now, especially Shisui and Itachi, as all 5 of them liked the two Uchiha teens, and with the way at least one of them was watching over them, it would be a good thing to let them in on the secret they had kept.


	13. Chapter 13

Once in the academy, he waited until they were on lunch break to tell his friends of what was happening, and what he and Obito feared had happened to make the Gedo Mazo go active.

Sakura frowned, “so a part of the tree of that last dimension might have made it to this one, and Zetsu found it?”

Naruto nodded, “maybe yeah, I don’t know for sure as I and the Bijuu were a bit too occupied keeping all of us together. And making sure that despite our bodies not surviving, we had a chance at what we have now, especially with the changes we were able to make by coming here.”

Turning to Sasuke he added, “we tossed the idea around of telling Shisui and Itachi of what happened to us, to give them an insight, as I think those two already suspect something is going on.”

Sasuke hummed, before nodding, “they do, but they try not to let us notice. I think Itachi has suspected something ever since that first night, but he trusts me, and us, to come to him before he will get suspicious of us.”

Sakura sighed and put a hand on the Uchiha’s arm, “are you ready to tell Itachi and Shisui of what has happened?”

Sasuke looked down, for once hating the fact that these two know him so well, know him better than he knows himself even - and as such are aware of his fear of being rejected by his big brother, and his favourite cousin. After the few previous dimensions he had a chance to bond with Itachi, but kept his distance in fear of his older brother hating him for the things he had done.

“Naru has a point though, and I’d rather they know and can prepare for the inevitable, and if they hate me after, I’d rather they live and live well, but hate me. Instead of them not knowing and me losing them, even if they both love me.”

Naruto and Sakura both shuffled closer to their dark-haired teammate, baracing him in between them, a sad smile on their faces.

“They are not going to hate you, Sasuke, not after everything, and especially not with the way they both adore you.”

Sasuke just shook his head, his eyes betraying the dark thought that no doubt made their way around his mind. 

Naruto took his hand, “Itachi will always love you, especially after he gave up his whole life in Konoha, just to make sure you survived. When he and I met at the start of the war - he looked at me and knew I would get through to you, would get you to see what it was we needed to do for the right thing, and we did. There is no way that this Itachi who wasn’t put in front of that choice wouldn’t get to the exact same conclusions, and he will, I don’t doubt that for even a moment.”

They both grew quiet as they noticed a tear going down Sasuke’s cheek, neither of them knowing what else to say now, as this was something he needed to get over himself. Although, in the end, they assumed that Sasuke had a hard time with this, as he never got to know what his Itachi thought about him and the choices he made.

In the end, he didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye to his big brother, as they both had other things on their mind then being able to say goodbye before one of them went back to the Pure Lands. Naruto know just how this had affected Sasuke, after not knowing what Itachi had done to protect him and hating his big brother, to killing him to gain his Mangekyou - all because Itachi believed it would help all of them in the long run, to seeing him again at the start of the war with so many feelings, and no way of speaking about them.

After the war, that had been one of the first things Sasuke told Naruto about, in away to talk to someone who had known what ITachi had done, but also who had learned as to why the Uchiha heir had done so, added to that was the fact that Naruto had met Itachi and talked to him about Sasuke, the look in his eyes then betraying that he had known what would eventually happen between the two of them.

Sakura in the meantime hadn’t met Itachi like that, but had heard from Naruto what the blond knew about the older Uchiha and the reason he did what he had done. she hadn’t liked the reasons, but she respected the man for what he was willing to do to protect her teammate, even if it did scar him in the long run.

Looking around she noticed that lunch break was almost over, so she handed over her handkerchief so the Uchiha could wipe his face and not go in with noticeable tear tracks on his face. Doing that would only add to rumours already going around and who knew what would happen then.

\---

Later that night, Obito went back to the Uchiha compound and asked both his cousins to come over the next day, stating that they had already asked Mikoto and Fugaku if this was allowed, and if Sasuke, and Itachi, could eat dinner at their place.

Luckily, both teens agreed and while both of them looked very interested, Obito didn’t say anything else, just smiled at them and told them he would tell them the day after.

When he passed Sasuke on the way out, he reached out and squeezed the other’s shoulder, smiling softly at Sasuke, knowing that this all would take a toll on him. He had known just how much trouble the younger had with them being the only Uchiha left in their original timeline, and going back to places where the Uchiha had a much better life conflicted with him.

Once back in the main house, Sasuke smiled at Itachi and Sasuke, before pressing a kiss to his mother’s cheek, telling her he wasn’t feeling that well and wanted to go to bed. 

Mikoto just smiled and nodded, pressing a kiss to Sasuke’s forehead in return and told him she’d put some dinner aside for him, should he feel better after. 

Sasuke had nodded, before going to bed, burying himself under the blankets and just wallowing for a little time, dealing with all the hurt, grief and anger he had felt ever since his Itachi left for good. Not looking forward to tomorrow on one hand, as his insecurities were rearing their heads, but on the other hand, he wanted Itachi and Shisui to know, to make sure that they knew what they were up against. Especially with the Gedo Mazo going active and Zetsu most likely formulating a plan to bring Kaguya back sooner than they assumed he would.

None of them had wanted to deal with that before they became genin, but they couldn’t choose this, so telling people was the best course of action at this moment - to prepare this dimension for what was most likely to come.

Hiding his head under his pillow, Sasuke could feel sleep pulling him under, and didn’t fight it, not after the emotional day he had today, tomorrow would be even worse, but then he would have Naruto to work his magic in the security of Kakashi and Obito’s home. Which would show Itachi and Shisui just what they were capable of and could be used as an example of their abilities. Part of him looked forward to their reactions and the way both of them would be in awe at what they all could do. 

Sasuke fell asleep with a smile on his face, which was something Itachi would find out as he came to check up on his younger brother and had to smile, that what bothered Sasuke must have been solved if the younger had managed to fall asleep with a smile on his face.

\---

The next day, Itachi and Shisui didn’t know what to expect when they arrived at Kakashi’s apartment, they knew that Obito spent almost all his time there, making it seem like the two of them had moved in together. From before, they also knew that Kakashi had custody of Naruto, finally - he had been trying to get that for as long as his sensei had been dead, so for him to finally get custody, he would do whatever he needed to keep the blond happy.

Sasuke, they knew, also spent a lot of time there, with Naruto and another of their classmates, all three of them very close, close enough even that the Hokage was contemplating putting them on the same team when they graduated.

For some reason they suspected that all of this mysterious business was linked to the kids, as they had become very fast friends - who worked together really well, especially for 5 year olds. The Sandaime wanted to see where they stood closer to the exam, but if it stayed the same, he would put them on the same team, such an amount of teamwork would make them a dream team for whatever Jounin sensei was appointed to them.

But still, for being 5 years old they acted like they were much older. Sasuke and Naruto, who they saw the most, did their best to hide it. But both Itachi and Shisui were ANBU, they were used to looking underneath, the underneath, to find those things that could bring harm to the Hokage, or to the Village.

They had talked about all of this the night before, and while they were beyond curious to what they would be told, they also promised themselves that they would listen and reserve judgement until after everything was told. 

Both of them also didn’t know what to expect, but were flattered that the kids trusted them enough to want to tell them what was going on. And while they would never expect it, that which they would be told - or more importantly, be shown - would change the way they looked at the people around them.

In Kakashi and Obito’s apartment they were all getting ready for this reveal, Naruto had revealed that he could feel the Gedo Mazo moving, which put all of them on edge, if Zetsu and the statue were able to get to Gaara, or Fuu, they knew those would be lost. Both were the only Jinchuuriki in their village, they were the youngest next to Naruto - being 5 and 6 respectively.

It had all of them worrying that telling the Hokage would be the next logical step, as they needed the whole of the villages on edge and ready to counter whatever was going to happen. They could not let Zetsu get to the other Jinchuuriki, less so could they let him get to Naruto. Almost everyone thought Naruto only held Kurama, but if it was found out this wasn’t the case - who knew what would happen. These villages didn’t have the common enemy in the Akatsuki to rally against, they only had the word of the Hokage to trust upon and a lot of the other villages held a grudge against Konoha, or one of their shinobi. 

Telling Itachi and Shisui would be the first step in seeing who else they could trust with this secret, not that it would matter in the long run. But keeping rumours from flying was one of their priorities, to not give Zetsu more of an advantage then he already had.

Naruto hummed as he felt the two other Uchihas entering the building, all of them standing at the ready to push the seals he had made on the walls to protect their conversation from everyone, and anyone, that might be listening in, or wanting to listen in. 

As Itachi and Shisui entered, and Sasuke closed the door again, the barrier was put up, much to their surprise, before they looked at Sasuke, choking at the rinnegan they could see in his left eye.

“Nii-san, Shisui-nii, I need to show you something.”

With that the Rinnegan started spinning, casting a Genjutsu that would show Itachi and Shisui everything they needed to know. All they needed to do now was wait for the genjutsu to play its course, no matter how nerve wrecking that was.


	14. Chapter 14

The moment Sasuke had cast the genjutsu, he sat down on a chair next to where Itachi and Shisui were standing, eyes wide as they were shown just what had happened to Team 7 all this time. It would hopefully explain some things to the two other Uchiha, and would give them an ally or two in the event that things did progress much sooner than they anticipated.

Sasuke especially was still anxious to know what would follow next, seeing as everything Zetsu could throw at them, they could handle, but losing his big brother was something he didn’t want to have to go through once more - once was more than enough.

Kakashi and Obito made sure they had some drinks and snacks out, seeing as once Itachi and Shisui came out of the genjutsu there would be a very long talk involved. 

It had been decided to let the two see what is what had happened to them, starting at the 4th war, and going through all the different dimensions they visited, to what they knew from a few days ago and how the plan Zetsu had was moved up a lot.

If both of them reacted positively, all of them were contemplating telling the Hokage, at least in part, what was going to happen soon. Especially now that all the villages had been warned and were, most likely, on high alert, Zetsu wouldn’t get to the Bijuu all that easily.

If he didn’t manage that, he might just decide to come to Konoha, as Naruto held all 9 of them, saving him the trouble of capturing the original bijuu of this timeline and fully releasing the Juubi like that. Not that they wanted that to happen, but they all had to be realistic in their planning - Zetsu still wanted to resurrect Kaguya, no matter what it took, and with this ace up his sleeve, he might just get a lot more bold than he had been before.

Sighing, Naruto went and leaned on Sasuke’s shoulder, feeling the Uchiha lean right back.

“Everything is going to be ok, you know that, right?”

Sasuke looked up, “we don’t know that for sure.”

Naruto grumbled, hearing Sakura sigh besides him, “Sasuke, we talked about this, with how far Itachi was willing to go in our original timeline I am sure something like this won’t make him pull away from you. He’ll be shocked, but then who wouldn’t be, but he cared about you too damn much to just toss you away.”

Sasuke hummed, before wrapping his arms around Naruto’s waist and hiding his head in the blond’s stomach. Naruto ran his hands through black hair; he knew that if this were to turn out badly, Sasuke would be scared for life - almost as bad as he had been after the massacre (which had only resolved itself, somewhat, after getting a chance to talk to Itachi before his edo tensei ran out).

The apartment stayed quiet after that, all of them lost in thought, waiting for Itachi and Shisui to wake up from the genjutsu Sasuke had cast - so they could proceed with their plans for whatever Zetsu planned on doing.

A deep gasp made them look up to where the Uchiha were blinking, both their eyes widening as they processed what they were seeing. After everything that had been shown, looking around and seeing Kakashi with two normal eyes, Obito with two sharingan eyes, Sakura with the seal on her forehead and Sasuke with a Rinnegan must have been quite the shock.

Itachi however, did as Naruto thought he would do. He approached, pulled Sasuke up and hugged his brother tightly to him, which in turn made Sasuke wrap his arms around his older brother and just cling to him.

Shisui meanwhile had taken a seat at the table, accepting a drink from Obito, before he turned and looked at his cousins while they hugged, a sad smile on his face.

“Sasuke never got to do that before, did he?”

Sakura, who took a seat next to him, shook her head.

“At first Sasuke was furious, and happy I guess, that Itachi was dead, until the truth was revealed. They saw each other briefly on the battlefield, but at the time there was no time to talk it all over. There was a war to be won, so the issues of one individual had to wait.

We met other, how do I say this, versions of Itachi, but Sasuke kept his distance most times, as he had no idea how to react with Itachi close by.

Here however, he could be clingy all he wanted, as that was expected of him as the younger brother, and we all know that Itachi let him, and would keep letting him, as he adores his little brother. That was what made it all so hard, but also made us decide that we needed to tell someone, especially with what is brewing on the horizon.”

This got the attention of both Itachi and Shisui, the first letting go of Sasuke, even if he kept a hand on the younger’s shoulder to lead him to the table.

“What do you mean, what is brewing on the horizon?”

Looking at Naruto, the blond explained what had happened in the last dimension, and how he, Sasuke and the bijuu were the only ones still capable of moulding chakra and thus powdering their transport to this dimension.

With the chakra it took, it still left their bodies behind, adhering their souls to the bodies of themselves in this time, so they could survive. However, in their haste to get away, the passage hadn’t been closed properly, allowing a branch of the Shinju to get through and lay here in wait until Zetsu found it and absorbed it - giving the chakra to the gedo mazo and awakening it.

“So now, we’re at an impasse on what to do, we know that Zetsu isn’t going to wait like last time, not when he can move much faster. But we also don’t know who to let in on the secret, or who to trust to know that we know what we’re doing - even if we’re only 6 years old, in body.”

A hum made him look up at Kakashi, who was grinning, rolled his eyes and added, “and almost 20 for Kashi-nii and Obito-nii. But still, they won’t be able to keep off a partially awakened Gedo Mazo on their own, not with how much chakra it has right now.”

Itachi and Shisui blinked once, before looking at each other, “and what is that you want us to do then? It isn’t like we’re all that older than you.”

Sasuke shook his head, “but you are both jounin, and fully fletched shinobi, where we are technically only academy students, whose word won’t mean anything when push comes to shove.”

“Then why tell us, and show us all of this, if push comes to shove, and Konoha does get invaded by this Zetsu character, surely other shinobi will be able to take him down?”

Naruto and Sasuke blinked at Shisui as he posted that question, “no they won’t. Zetsu isn’t human, he’s the physical manifestation of Kaguya’s rage at being locked up. He wants to bring her back and will not stop at bringing her back. 

He needs to Bijuu to power up the Juubi, followed by a jinchuuriki stupid enough to let the Juubi in and consume them, resulting in Kaguya being reborn - it is what happened in our original timeline, where it had been Madara, influenced, manipulated and moulded by Zetsu to do exactly as he wanted without question.

If something like that were to happen here, even just the tiniest bit, Konoha would be wiped off the map. Once the Gedo Mazo reaches its second released form it can spawn chakra absorbing beings that will protect it - all the while the Juubi slowly awakens and is able to shoot off bijudama the size of half Konoha.”

Shisui swallowed thickly, “so only you are able to seal it back?”

Naruto shrugged, “or another Uzumaki, I guess, but we’re not that widespread anymore.”

Sighing, Shisui nodded, he may have spoken too soon, but all he could see was a cousin that only just returned from the dead, his former ANBU captain, and three kids that he liked and wanted to protect, he couldn’t just leave them to their fate. Not in times like this.

“What do you need us to do then?”

Team 7 looked at each other, “keep the others clear when we arrive, should it be necessary, we know what we’re doing. Even if we would have just wanted to enjoy our lives here, we will also protect Konoha to our dying breath.”

Itachi looked at the youngest in the room, “what if that isn’t enough?”

Naruto spaced out again, “we’ll find others who’d do the same.”

As the blond blinked, a grin started to form on his face, “I just figured out how to call in the calvary.”

Taking some paper that was laying around he started to sketch the outline of a seal on it, adding as he went, to the astonishment of Itachi and Shisui, as they had never seen craftsmanship like this before. As Naruto drew, the other parts of team Bijuu couldn’t help but wonder who the cavalry would be - they had some guesses, but were doubting if that would be enough.

Last time they needed the full Shinobi alliance to make the released Juubi stop in its tracks, helped by the four former Hokage at that.

Naruto hummed, took off his jacket and started to draw onto the seal he had on his wrist, much to the shock of those around him. 

Itachi and Shisui mostly because of the detail in that seal, the others because the seal on Naruto’s wrist was still something special, so for him to start drawing over it.

Sasuke was the first to figure it out, “you want to go back, to the time we left in those other dimensions, and ask them to come?”

Naruto nodded, “I figured we can get help from the first Konoha - Madara, Hashirama, Mito, Tobirama and Izuna, and everyone else who wants to come. Coupled with our dad’s, well mine, Kashi’s and Obito’s - so that would mean Mom’d come as well. And my family, we’d have enough firepower with a handful of Uzumaki thrown in.”

Kakashi winced, “will it work?”

When he looked up again, Naruto’s eyes were red, a foxy smile on his face.

“He’s sulking then,”

Kurama nodded,  **“you know he would, the moment you said that, Hatake. We all know that Naruto’s sealing is the best, even among his clansmen. This won’t fail.”**

Itachi and Shisui looked on in horror as the red eyes looked at them, the last time they had soon that colour eyes had been when the fox had been released, leveling a good part of Konoha in the proces.

**“Sasuke, tell your brother and cousin that I mean no harm, will you. They look terrified.”**

Sasuke snorted, “That's just because they don’t know what a mother hen you actually are, Kurama.”

The fox huffed, but didn’t say anything to counter it, he knew he was a mother hen, as the oldest and after everything that happened, he wanted to look out for his siblings. Something he was sure most of the people in this room understood.

Humming, he turned to Kakashi,  **“Kokuo talked to him and told him you didn’t mean it like that, better apologize though, or she’s going to come to give you a tongue lashing.”**

Kakashi nodded, pleased when Kurama’s red eyes faded into blue again, Naruto was still pouting, until Kakashi gathered him up into a hug.

“Sorry for doubting you, Naru, I’m looking forward to seeing sensei and my dad again though.”

Naruto beamed up at him, “I’ll only need it when I find we’re out of options though. We’ll need to wait and see what happens now.”

The rest of the evening was spent making Itachi and Shisui gape in awe as team Bijuu rallied to make plans for what was to come.


	15. Chapter 15

Zetsu was scowling as he sank back in the ground in Taki, hoping to get the Nanabi from this weak village, but even here the defences were too strong to get to the village’s Jinchuuriki. It would seem that all the villages knew something was going on and had strengthened their defences.

It made it hard for him to give the Shinju more chakra to awaken, making this a dead end to get to the chakra needed to bring O-Kaa-Sama back to this realm. It made him scowl even deeper, as for once he thought to be a step ahead.

However, as soon as he thought about this, a smirk began to form on his face, Konoha had a person walking around that already held all the nine in himself, if he got to the Uzumaki, he’d be able to awaken O-Kaa-Sama without any trouble and without all the extra effort it would require to sneak in a village, and out with their Jinchuuriki all the way back to where he had left the Shinju, only to have to that 8 more times.

If he just sneaked into Konoha, to get to their Jinchuuriki, all of his troubles would be over, as this Naruto had all nine of the Bijuu in his seal. 

Grinning, he sank into the ground, back to where the Shinju was, she had woken enough to soon be able to enter the second stage and spawn guardians that would guard her while she looked for more chakra to devour. It would give the Shinju the charka it needed, and while he went to get the Jinchuuriki she could feast on the chakra of whoever was stupid enough to attack her.

Nodding to himself, this was the best course of action, and one that in his disturbed mind would bring the most out of it in the shortest while. Soon O-Kaa-Sama would walk this Earth again to reshape it in the image of the Otsutsuki.

As he appeared by the Shinju, he was able to give her some chakra of random people he had been able to kill, most of them travellers, or otherwise humans who wouldn’t be missed for a very long time. Giving the Shinju this chakra, he could feel her approaching her second release state.

It wasn’t the same boost a Bijuu’s chakra would give her, but it was enough that he could feel more of her released form shining true, soon, soon she’d be able to terrorise the world once more, as she had done before.

Onwards to Konoha now, to get every ounce of chakra he needed to bring Her back to this plane, so finally, they would be able to accomplish what they had started all those years ago.

\---

Back in Konoha, Naruto shot up in bed once more, feeling and experiencing the Shinju getting closer and closer to its released second state - should it reach that and get to Konoha the village would be lost without any help from outside.

Worrying his lip between his teeth, he contemplated for a moment if he needed to discuss this with anyone, but he could already feel the Shinju’s chakra getting close to Konoha, soon it would be upon them and none of the Shinobi in the village would be able to keep up with them enough to be of any help in resealing it.

Making the familiar cross sign, three Bijuu chakra enforced shadow clones popped up, looking at him, nodding once and disappearing once they moulded some chakra into the seal on their wrist. Even if it was not necessary, he knew that several people here would benefit from getting to know the people that would appear soon. For now, they had hid in this Konoha, but as Zetsu was getting closer they would have to come clean at one point instead of just living their lives.

Them arriving here had changed some of the key points they had known from their own timeline, but between them taking a part of the Shinju with them and giving Zetsu another step ahead on all of them.

Sighing, Naruto settled back in bed, for now all he could do was wait for what would come, he could feel the Shinju move, but that didn’t mean it would get to Konoha soon. Further he could feel Obito and Kakashi sleeping in the room next door, their deep breaths letting him know it was early.

The clock on his bedside table telling him the same thing. After all, their evening had been late, with them telling everything to Itachi and Shisui, filling in all the things that hadn’t been shown in the genjutsu Sasuke had cast.

At the end of that explanation, Itachi had pulled Sasuke close to him, Shisui following soon after with Naruto and Sakura in his arms - squashing all three of them in between them. Kakashi and Obito approached with a bit more reservation. After all, now his cousins knew what Obito had done the last time, where he didn’t have a blond sunshine that had pulled him back from the dark zone his mind had fallen into after Rin’s death as well as all the things he’d been told by Zetsu and Madara (the old one, also manipulated by Zetsu).

He partly expected to get some trouble because of that, seeing as both Itachi and Shisui put Konoha and the family before anything else. To know that he at one point planned the downfall of Konoha, and helped in the extermination of the Uchiha clan.

**“Naruto.”**

Hearing Kurama’s voice, Naruto let himself sink into his mindscape, hoping to get some rest that way, hoping that what he feared would come to pass wouldn’t happen today.

**“You can’t let this eat at you, Naruto, you did everything you could to make sure you all came through. Zetsu getting an upper hand could have happened anywhere. Be happy you’re here to save this Konoha from its destruction if you all weren’t here.”**

Naruto sighed, but nodded, climbing up one of Kurama’s tails that came to rest next to the fox’s paw, to rest there.

“I know that, or rationally, I know that. But if we never came here, it would play out like we know it would, and then…”

Kurama sighed,  **“Then this Sasuke would live through the horrors of knowing his older brother killed his whole clan. Not only that, but the Uchiha clan would be reduced to a genin, and two missing nin (not that anyone would know it’s Obito until it is almost the end).**

**Everything happens for a reason, Naru, take this as it is, fight for this place. You did everything possible to give us a chance to win this fight. Danzo is no more, and there is not even a rumour about the Uchiha clan. You’ll be okay, and after, you can all enjoy a somewhat normal life, instead of having to bounce from one place to the next, because that’s all you ever did in the first life - first because you kept on looking for Sasuke and after because none of the villages could look at Sasuke and Obito without thinking back about all the things they had done.**

**After, it was the dimension hopping so none of you got too attached. None of this had been healthy, for either of you, Naruto, you have to see that.”**

Naruto sniffed, “but nothing will ever be the same if we tell Hokage-Jiji what we knew all along, what if he takes me away from Kashi? Or forbids Kashi and Obito from seeing each other, or…”

Hyperventilating, Naruto could feel several of the Bijuu closing in on them, using their tails as a blanket, to comfort him in his distress.

**“If the Hokage were to do that, the Uchiha would stage a coup, and you could all run and become missing nin, start using the portals again. Even if that were to happen, there’s a solution for all of this, don’t break your head over it.”**

Naruto nodded, before he drifted off, laying on Kurama’s tail, or one of them, with at least one tail of Matatabi, Saiken and Kokuo over him, all of the Bijuu looking at the oldest of them, who nodded before taking over Naruto’s body to look for his guardians.

He found Kakashi and Obito in the kitchen, both of them grinning at him, even if that smile lessened as they noticed Kurama’s eyes staring back instead of Naruto’s blues.

“Kurama.”

He nodded,  **“Naruto went and got the cavalry, hoping we won’t be needing it, but we’ve all felt the Shinju closing in on Konoha. So prepare for the event that it will be upon Konoha today.”**

As both the older shinobi nodded, Kurama continued,  **“he’s also scared that everything will change after you reveal this - his biggest fears are getting taken away from the both of you, and team 7 as a whole. As well as the Hokage forbidding the two of you from seeing the other.”**

Obito snorted, “not going to happen though.”

Kurama nods,  **“we know, and I think Naruto knows subconsciously, but still, he won’t be able to function without team Bijuu there for him. We can only do so much for him from inside the seal.”**

Kakashi nodded, “we’ll keep an eye on him, Kurama, and we ‘ll make sure nothing bad will happen to Naru, or the other kids, we’re strongest together still, aren’t we.”

Kurama nodded, feeling the others waking Naruto, so he relented control back to the blond. Said blond looked at his guardians, “Kurama snitched on me, didn’t he.”

Kakashi grinned, “it just shows that he cares, Naru, you should know better and tell us these things. You’re still only one person you know, powers gifted by the Sage or not. We’ll get through this, all of us, especially with the people you’ve sent a message to.”

Naruto nodded, hiding his face into Kakashi’s jacket as he hugged the silver haired man close, Obito’s arm enclosing the both of them, hoping to keep their blond sunshine calm and collected now that Konoha might just be in danger in the coming hours.

Feeling a shift in the air, Naruto gasped, bending double at the feeling he was experiencing.

“They’re here.”

Obito and Kakashi looked at each other, before the silver haired jounin disappeared in a shinshun, to warn the Hokage that needed to get the village battle ready, and fast at that. He’d find an explanation for why after, right now, he needed to have the village’s jounin ready to go and hold out until their reinforcements arrived.

\---

Sasuke was walking with Itachi towards the academy, they had taken this time after breakfast to spend some time together, especially now that Itachi knew just how much Sasuke had missed him, and had misunderstood the actions he had taken. He still didn’t know what drove his counterpart to do such things, but he was never put in that position, and he hoped he never would be put in it.

Feeling the ground rumble underneath their feet, they made their way towards the main gate, seeing the chuunin on duty staring in horror as what seemed to be a monster crawled towards them, its limbs spawning smaller beings that ran forward towards the gates.

Looking at Sasuke, who nodded, Itachi went and helped secure the gates, telling the chuunin that Konoha was under attack and to sound the alarm.

Before anything else could be done, the gate splintered under the assault from several of the spawned beings, which Itachi recognized from what he saw from the genjutsu, so these were ‘protectors’ of the Juubi, or the Shinju tree, for a lack of a better term.

They weren’t able to absorb chakra directly, but could take it if they concentrated, taking it back to the shinju the moment that they were stored to the brim, making them dangerous for those of a lower rank.

Blocking a hit from one of those beings, Itachi froze as he heard Sasuke gasp, looking at his younger brother, he found the boy pinned by several of those beings, their intent very clear. Feeling around, everyone was preoccupied and Itachi couldn’t just leave this side unprotected.

Sasuke however, hated that he couldn’t just go all out, not yet, at least, and certainly not in the village, so he got pinned by some of the constructs the Shinju spawned to bring it more chakra. A large one made its way towards him, an axe from wood in his hands as it stomped straight at him and hefted the axe above his head.

Before anything else could happen however, he heard a familiar voice behind him shout, “Amaterasu”.

Pushing the big one back, and burning it to crisps.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [ discord channel ](https://discord.gg/ZQgS86qj4J)
> 
> Or send me an email: lerya.fanfic@gmail.com
> 
> Or find me on [ tumblr ](www.lerya-fanfic.tumblr.com)


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